Courage of a Hero
by ArcaneMadman
Summary: Ganondorf has been stopped. Time has been rewritten, but Link is unable to move on from what was, whether he wants to or not. Though it has been changed, fate is not done with the Hero of Time, for Hyrule's past is a dark one, and darkness will always return. This Fanfic aims to bridge the gap between Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess in a way that fits canon. Rated MA.
1. Chapter 1 - Part 1 - Dawn

It was early in the morning on the ranch. The men that worked there were only just getting to work (well, at least one was), and despite the sun barely reaching over the horizon, two children, a boy and a girl, were up during these early hours.

The young boy and girl were in a deep conversation beside a young Mare. The boy had short blond hair that split down the middle, was dressed in a green with a tunic and wore a long, pointed hat, leather boots and a belt across his waist and over his right shoulder. The girl had long crimson hair and wore a long, cream dress with the words "Lon Lon Ranch" in blue Hylian around the rim. She had been helping the boy pack for a long trip. And now, the Boy was ready to leave.

"Have you got you sword?" she asked the boy.

The boy pointed to the sword hilt on his back. "Got it. Shield too, if you were going to ask." He smiled, feeling the weight of his personal Hylian shield, courtesy of the Princess.

"Food?" The girl inquired.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Ye-es. Seven bottles of Lon Lon milk, Apples and some fish from lake Hylia."

The Girl watched him expectantly, waiting for another answer.

"What?" The boy asked, confused by her silence.

The girl sighed. "And for Epona...?" She asked, indicating to the mare.

The Boy's eye's widened. "Oh! Right. Carrots. I have carrots for her." The boy smiled at the girl. "Malon, don't worry. I'm just going to Hyrule Castle. I'll take good care of Epona. I'll bring her around whenever I can. and I can hold my own, remember?"

Tears stung Malons eyes and she wrapped her arms round the boy. "I'm going to miss you." She whispered as she hugged the boy tightly.

The boy was taken back. He had helped on Lon Lon Ranch for the past month, milking the cows, grooming the horses and playing with Malon. He was thankful that they had let him stay. He was in shock that _Malon_ was the one getting emotional.

"Hey, Malon, I can come by too." He said softly.

She looked at him, blinking back her tears. "Promise?"

The boy smiled. "Promise. I'm your friend. And I never break a promise. Ever."

Malon let go right as her father, Talon, left their house and bumped into the boy.

"Oh, sorry son, didn't see you there! You're still rather short!" He chuckled.

Malon blushed. "Dad!"

Talon laughed. "Sorry, Malon. So you leaving Link?"

The boy smiled. "Yeah. Thanks again for letting me stay here."

Talon chuckled. "It's fine. Malon had insisted on it."

" _Dad!_ "

"Ok, ok. Well, come by anytime!"

The boy smiled at Malon as he climb onto Epona. "I plan on it."

And with a final wave, the Hero of Time left the ranch and headed to Hyrule Castle.


	2. Chapter 2 - Childhood

The trip to Hyrule Castle had been uneventful. It had taken a day and a night to get there; day to actually get to the gate and a night wait for the gate to Castle Town to open. it would have only taken one day usually, but link didn't want to push Epona while she was carrying all his belongings. During the night he had struggled to get to sleep with the Captains mask on, but with the Stalchildren leaving his camps alone, it had been worth it.

He now approached the gate of Hyrule castle alongside Epona, ready for any outcome. He walked up to the guard in front of the gate and cleared his throat. the man ignored him, looking onwards into empty space. When this process repeated it's self, link lost his temper.

"Hey!" He yelled at the obnoxious man. The man, no longer able to pretend Link didn't exist, looked down disdainfully.

"No civilians are aloud past this point, shorty. Now, run off before I get mad."

Link seethed. If this man knew what he had done, he would be singing to a different tune.

"I request to enter Hyrule Castle, you ugly octorock spawn." Link said with a small grin.

The man glared and bent down with his arm raised. "Listen here tiny. I'm gonna-"

"What's going on here?" Shouted a new voice. They looked over to see a man in full armour, a knight, unlike the shorts wearing guards, marching towards the pair of them.

The guard straightened up immediately. "Captain, this child has demanded that I let him enter the castle, sir. He mocked me so I-"

"So you were going to hit a hopeless child? I don't thinks so." The captain turned to Link. "Son, you can't come in. I'm sorry, but that's regulations."

Link gritted his teeth. Always treated as a child. He doubted they could mentally handle what he had seen and experienced. "that reminds me," He muttered through clenched teeth. "Last time I was here, I was given this." He pulled a sealed letter out of a pouch on Epona and handed it to the Captain, who took it tentatively. He opened the letter and read it through, his eyebrows rising in disbelief, until he read the signature at the bottom.

He handed Link the letter back. "So, you're that kid, then? The one that unveiled Ganondorfs plot?"

Link smiled, happy to get some recognition. "Yes. I am Link of the Forest."

The guard was in shock. "What..? You're gonna let some child run into the grounds of the royal family?!" He spluttered in disbelief.

The captain turned to him. "Show him the letter." He said to link, who happily obliged. "Is that, or is that not, the signature of princess Zelda?"

The guard frowned. "It is."

"So you want to stop a friend of Hyrules royal family from entering the castle? By the goddesses, you were going to slap the boy!"

The guard suddenly found a very interesting part of the ground to stare at.

The captain returned his gaze to Link. "Terribly sorry, son. Now, if you'll just come this way." He then lead Link of into the Castle grounds.

* * *

"Impa, I'm so _bored_." Said the regal and mature princess Zelda as she flopped onto her bed.

Her attendant, the Sheikah Impa rolled her eyes at the princess. "And what would you suggest we do?"

Zelda sat up immediately with a devilish smile. "Why don't we throw deku nuts at the guards?"

"Because that could lead the king to believe we are under attack."

"Oh." Zelda muttered, deflated. She perked up almost immediately. "I could try to sneak out!"

"And you father would think you are kidnapped." Impa said smoothly. "And I would have to stop you regardless."

Zelda returned to doing her best dead fish impression. "Well, I'm out of ideas Impa. All the fun things to do would make my father worried and you're the only friend I have here."

Impa sighed. "Don't fret, princess, something will happen soon. You can count my life on it."

Zelda looked at her attendant and raised an eyebrow, and in response Impa shrugged. Right after, as if set of by this motion, a bell began to ring. Impa looked at Zelda and allowed herself a smug grin.

Zelda scowled. "Oh be quite. Is that a good thing of bad?"

Impa paused. "Sounds like the soldiers bell. I'd say something is happening amongst the troops."

Zelda grabbed her hat and shoved it onto her head. "Well, let's go see what they're so excited about."

* * *

"So, why are you here?"

Link looked at the Captain and thought it couldn't hurt to be truthful.

He shrugged and came to the decision. "Well, I plan on joining you." He said simply.

The captain stopped mid stride. "What?"

Link hesitated. "I want to become a knight of Hyrule."

The captain frowned. "What, now?"

Link was losing his confidence. "As soon as I can. It's not like I have anything else to do."

The captain strained his face, trying not to hurt the boy feelings. Link saw this.

"What's so funny?" He growled, all traces of innocence long gone.

The Captain calmed himself. "Well, for starters, you're a bit young-"

"The youthful are those with the most energy."

"-and you are, no offence, a bit short,"

Links eyes narrowed. "I'm not short. And if I was, it would helps with agility."

"And for another thing, you have no combat experience."

Silence. The captain sensed that he had crossed a line. He looked into Links unwavering eyes, and saw something he hadn't seen before. something he didn't like.

Link smiled like a wolf. "Hmm. Maybe you're right. Or maybe, you're wrong. Lets test which one it is shall, shall we? Which way to your training grounds?"

* * *

The princess and the Sheikah arrived at the Eastern tower within a few minutes and started searching the grounds for the masses.

"See anything, Impa?" Zelda ask, straining herself over the battlements.

"Careful. No, princess. The grounds seem empty. That is abnormal. Perhaps they are at the barracks or armoury."

"Ok, I'll check." She walked around the tower. "There, Impa, there's a lot of people over there."

Impa walked over and shielded her eyes. "yes, that would be the most likely place. But that's just the training grounds. Looks to be a duel of sorts, but I can only-"

"Did you see that?" Zelda interjected.

Impa frowned at the masses of soldiers and guards. "What was it?"

"I saw green." Zelda whispered sheepishly.

Impa processed the information in a second, before looking to the princess. "I assume that you are itching to discover if you are correct."

Zelda could barely contain her excitement. "Yes. By Nayru yes."


	3. Chapter 3 - Proving Grounds

A bustling crowd had gathered in the training field, both of Hylian soldiers and severing staff, to see this show down. The second captain of the Hylian defence, skilled with the sword and the spear, had been challenged to single combat by a small, young boy.

The captain eyed his opponent, tense and ready to fight. He was a warrior, and wasn't going to go easy on this child just to make him feel good about himself. If he really wanted to be a Knight of Hyrule, he had to know that losing hurt. He swung his sword loosely in his hand, waiting for the boy to make his move.

Link, on the other hand, just stood there. With sword in his left hand and shield in his right. He knew that the captain would struggle against an attack from a left handed opponent. He also knew that he wouldn't hold back on him, so Link was going to return the favour.

"Best of three, shall we say?" Link called absent mindedly, to which the captain grunted. Link shrugged and took it as a yes. "Ready when you are."

As soon as the words left Link's mouth, the captain charged with a terrible roar. When the captain got close, Link dived to the side and struck him in the back, sending him falling to the ground. Before the captain could get up, Link's gilded sword was as his throat. Silence fell over the training field eventually, Link broke the silence.

"One to me." Was all he said.

The crowd erupted with noise. People laughing, people shouting in amazement, murmuring about what had just unfolded, and the clink of rupees changing hands.

The captain stood up, grumbling, embarrassed. _Beaten by a child_ , he thought. _How can I live this down?_

They took up stances, this time Link stood, shifting weight from foot to foot, shield at the ready, sword high. They didn't say anything, just charged at each other and attacked.

Their blades came together in a flash of sparks and metal, each blow making their swords sing. The captain slashed and thrust his blade with the ferocity of a mad deku, and Link blocked and swinging his blade with the skill of master. The captain attacked, blow after blow, giving Link barely any time to retaliate. A few times the captain's sword nicked Link, giving him multiple cuts. Yet link still fought. Eventually the captain went for and downwards arc and Link jumped to the side and stepped on the captain's blade before stabbing at the captain's helmet, flicking it off his head.

"Two. I win." Link smiled coldly.

A roar went up from the crowd. People cheered him, congratulated him, and slapped him on the back. The captain was stunned. _How did he learn to fight like that?_ He wondered. He shook his head. He was impressed, he was curious, and he didn't want to know the answer.

* * *

Eventually, the crowd dispersed, leaving link alone. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. _I think I've impressed some people_ , he mused to himself. Suddenly someone began clapping slowly at the other end of the field. He spun to see a girl sitting on a box next to a tall woman, smiling smugly. Link's face burst into a grin. "Were you impressed by my performance, your majesty?"

Zelda's face mimicked his own. "Very much, young warrior."

He ran at her and gave her a massive hug. "How have you been Zelda? Causing chaos I hope?"

Impa scoffed. "You have no idea. Last week she threw deku nuts at the guards. It cause quite the ruckus."

Zelda ignored her. "I've been fine. A bit bored, I suppose, but fine."

Link broke off and laughed. "Throwing deku nuts? You've finally moved on bugs in beds. I'm proud of you."

Zelda looked at him cheerfully. "It's good to see you smile Link. It's been so long since I've seen it."

Link's smile wavered. "I… just needed time to myself."

He lost himself to his thoughts and recalled what had sent him into his downwards spiral. Link snapped back to the present. Zelda was still watching him carefully. He grinned.

"Yeah, well, you know about Ganondorf and Majora and all. Hey, you think I should tell the king I'm here? Or should just stay unannounced?"

Zelda giggled. "I think you should see my father. Besides, you've never seen much of the castle. Come on, I'll take you!"

And so Zelda led Link off to the castle, with Impa her ever present shadow.


	4. Chapter 4 - To be Young

The princess dragged Link through the castle grounds. He had never truly seen this part of the castle, and the parts he had were only brief. Impa, strolling beside them, gave detailed descriptions of the guards quarters, the main entrance to the royal gardens (which she firmly stated that that was the _correct_ way to enter the gardens) and the Grand Hall entrance, which was as regal as it was grandeurs.

"This way to the royal chambers." Impa indicated to the stairway at the end of the chamber, smiling softly. "I hope you don't mind some stairs, young man."

Link tried to remember the last time he addressed the king. "Wasn't the chamber by the gardens?"

Impa shook her head. "I'm afraid not. That was the greeting room. It's only used for formal addressals."

Zelda giggled. "Father is always in the library. The most important information in the kingdom is kept there."

Link groaned. "So it has to be high up."

Impa stepped over to the boy. "You're supposed to be a mighty warrior. Yet you dread the stairs of a castle?" She patted Link on the head. "Perhaps the princess shall show you there's nothing to fear?"

Zelda beamed.

Link readjusted his cap, and glanced to the princess. He turned to Impa. "How far is it?"

Impa smiled. "Go up fourteen times. Follow the chamber on the left." Stepping aside to avoid what was inevitable to come.

Link, assured that his cap was secure, bolted past her and pulled a face at the princess as he began his ascent up the spiral stairway. Not one to be beaten, Zelda charged after him, and soon they had both disappeared upward, their shouts echoing throughout the halls.

* * *

Link counted the doors as he passed each one while hurling snide remarks at the princess. He passed the eleventh level. "I thought this place was your home!" He heard her call back, but couldn't make out the words. Twelfth level. His legs were truly beginning to hurt. "You go up this often?" He asked. He couldn't think of jabs to throw at her. Thirteen. He felt himself slow down. _It would be ok to stop for a moment_ , he thought. _She can't catch me._

Zelda flew him, turning to look at his shocked expression and stuck out her tongue, before resuming her ascent. Unwilling to lose, Link found new energy and shot after her. As he rounded the final curve, he ran straight into the princess, sending them both sprawling through the doorway to the fourteenth level. A muffled sound escaped from something underneath Link, which he took a moment to realise was the princess. Link jumped off and rolled her over, afraid he had hurt her. However, instead of a bloody face, her face beamed. Link sighed in relief, which turned into shock as he attempted to fend off an assault of slaps.

Zelda laughed. "You could have hurt me!"

Link covered his face, so his response was muffled. "But you weren't, so can you-" a hand made it through his defences, striking him on the cheek. "Ow!" He glared at the giggling princess, and pounced on her to return the attack, and was welcomed by a shrill shriek as a surprised Zelda tried to push him off. This went on for a few moments before they realised that they were being watched. They looked up to see the cocked eyebrow of Impa, who had been watching them for some time now.

"I hope you two aren't getting too friendly." Impa remarked.

Link blushed softly as climbed off Zelda and faced the tall woman. "How did you get here so fast?" He muttered under his breath.

Zelda, who was flushed red but smiling like a fool, stood up and tutted at link. "Impa is Sheikah. They go wherever they please."

A smile played at the edges of Impas mouth. "Blunt, but true. I was here long before two stumbled through." She turned and headed down a corridor, Zelda hot on her heels. "This way, young Link."

* * *

The king was, as expected, within the library, intently reading an ancient scripture, when Zelda ran in flung her arms around him, giving him quite the surprise.

"Goddesses!" He exclaimed. "Zelda, I fear you will be the death of me." He smiled softly before embracing her fully.

Zelda laughed. "Sorry father. You've been really busy and I didn't think I could intrude."

The king chuckled and help Zelda at arm's length. "My Princess, you are too kind to an old man like me."

As the king began to listen to Zelda's stories, Impa and Link entered the area. Link noticed that there were two more people nearby the king. One was an old man sitting beside the king, dressed in ebony robes, whose pure white hair was slicked back. The other was a young woman, who wore a dim ruby cowl that concealed her left arm and the lower part of her face over a dark violet sleeveless tunic, and the shine of steel gauntlets was not lost on Link. Her platinum hair was pulled into a bun, with a single braid hanging by her right eye. If he hadn't figured it out yet, the red eyes distinguished them both as Sheikah.

Impa bowed her head to old man and nodded to woman before approaching the king. Link stuck close, not wanting to seem a threat to either.

"…Spectacular, father! Captain Viscen barely touched him!" Zelda insisted, much to the king's amusement.

He turned his head to Link. "Is that so? You beat our secondary captain of the guard, my boy?"

Link took a moment to register that the king was addressing him. He kneeled before responding. "Yes, your Majesty."

The king snorted. "No need for that, boy. This is no formal meeting, isn't it?" Link, feeling unsure of what was the proper procedure, stood up and looked at the king. He was by no means old, but wrinkles were beginning to set in. His hair, through starting to recede, was clean cut. Grey had begun to set into his peppery hair, most noticeable in his well-trimmed beard. Today he wore a simple grey garb, autumn brown pants and a necklace encrust with sapphires, which was a stark contrast with the royal garb Link had been addressed in before.

He looked up to Zelda, realising that nothing had been said and all eyes were on him. Deciding that shifting the attention was the best action. "Though if I may be so bold," He continued "The princess seems to have exaggerated my success."

Impa shook her head. "Perhaps," she said softly. "But you achievement should not be undermined."

The king nodded in agreement. "Your skill is apparent. Viscen may not be our greatest knight, but it would still take years of training to reach his swordsmanship."

The old Sheikah sat forwards. "I believe," He murmured softly, "That you wish to… use that skill, correct?"

Link took in the words before nodding slowly. "Yes. I do."

The old Sheikah looked to the king, who frowned. "Link, what is it? You came all this way, and if you wanted to see my daughter, I would not know until long after."

Inside is head, Link scowled himself. _You have faced great horrors, proven your courage. Why are you afraid now?_

Link looked the king dead in the eye and told him. "I want to serve hyrule as one of its knights."


	5. Chapter 5 - Points of View

The king blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Links heart fell. "A… a knight." He stammered. "I want to serve Hyrule."

The king pinched his nose. "My boy, I'm afraid I cannot allow that."

Zelda looked to the king. "But father-" The king cut her off with a motion of her hand.

He looked Link dead in the eye, and they seemed placid. "Link," He said firmly. "Please understand, this is not an act against you. But I cannot allow a child to serve me." Link opened his mouth to argue, but the king stopped him with a look. "Do not interrupt." His voice was firm. When Link nodded an apology, the kings face softened. "Think of your question from my position. If a child would be allowed to serve me, the people would be enraged. Training someone so young to fight and possibly die for my kingdom." He shook his head. "The very idea… abhorrent." He returned his gaze to Link. "I do not wish for children to sacrifice their youth for me, or my people."

Link looked to his boots. He felt tears sting his eyes. He felt that this was what he had to do. He wanted to be free to a life free of deadly situations. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape it. He felt compelled to help others. He couldn't stop himself. This was the only chance he saw to control everything. But now?

Impa patted him softly on the back. He looked up to see a soft, even remorseful, smile. He pushed back the tears and smiled back. He looked to Zelda, who was looking to her father and Link, hoping that something would change.

The young Sheikah stepped forward. "If I may be so bold," She murmured, her voice muffled by her cowl, "I believe that some sort of… agreement could be found."

The king turned to her and scowled. "Did you hear nothing I said?"

The woman blinked and shook her head. "No-I mean, yes, king Robin, but-"

"Then I have nothing more to say!" The king huffed, and looked to the old man for reassurance, but was shocked to fine the wizened Sheikah gazing to the young woman intently. "Does no one find the idea repulsive?!" He cried.

The old man chuckled. "Nelo may be young, but she is Sheikah. Her ideas may have merit."

The king threw his hands in the air. "Fine. Let us hear your _agreement_."

Nelo bowed. "Thank you, king Robin." She looked to the old man for confidence before choosing her words carefully.

"What you said, about children fighting for us, I agree with in full."

The king raised an eyebrow. "I assume there is more to your argument." The old Sheikah scowled at the king, who waved his hand in apology. An amused Impa shot a sly look at Zelda, who seemed concerned.

Nelo, seeming less sure of herself with every passing moment, continued. "However, the boy offers… something to consider." She took a breath. "With the Sheikah, we are trained from a young age to serve the royal family of Hyrule. We do not put our training to action until we are of age." She Nodded to the king. "I am only just acceptable to serve as your attendant." She turned her gaze to the others. "We could allow for the training of younger men that, when the time is right, are ready to serve." She blinked, as if realising that she had finished.

The king stroked his beard. "Hm. Your idea… it's not flawless, but…"

Link perked up. He looked to Zelda, who grinned at him silently.

The kings frowned in concentration. "I will not be able to decide this myself." He stood up. "I will meet with my advisors within the week. We will discuss this matter there." He looked to the young Sheikah. "Nelo, my advisors should be informed on what we are deciding." She bowed her head before melting into the shadows. The king smiled softly at Zelda. "Zelda, would you find somewhere for young Link to rest? No doubt he would like to be among the first to know about the final decision." The young Princess beamed and grabbed Link by his hand. "Come on, you could be near my chamber!" Before he could agree, he was being dragged out of the library with Impa following behind.

Once they were alone, the old Sheikah lowered his head. "You shouldn't trick the boy like that."

The king collapsed into the chair. "I meant what I said. We will discuss it what to do."

"But you will oppose."

He spun to face the Sheikah. "Of course I will! He may be skilled, but he is still a boy! He wont be able to face what one must do to protect others."

The old man shook his head. "Robin, are you truely so blind?"

The king raised an eyebrow. "After all these years?" He sighed. "Very well, tell me what I failed to observe."

"Its in the eyes." The Sheikah pointed to to his own. "You can see a person for what they truely are in the eyes."

A moment passed before the king asked "And what did you see in his?"

"I see hardship." He declared. "In his eyes, I see some who was forced to grow older then their body."

* * *

"Its not too extravagant, but I think it'll be fine."

Link smiled at Zelda and looked over the room. It was large, but sparsely decorated, with stone walls and a single window that faced the castle town. He nodded. "Looks perfect to me."

Zelda beamed and hugged Links arm. "My room is a corridor away. We can meet in the morning and I'll take you down for breakfast!"

Link bowed. "As you wish, princess." He trained his head to look out the window. "We've still got half a day left. What do you do for entertainment?"

Zelda placed a finger on her chin. "Well, usually Impa trains me to be more of an 'authority figure' or-" She cut herself off and winced. "Sorry, I forgot, but I cant tell you."

Impa shook her head. "Don't try to figure it out. If you did, I would have to execute you."

Link blinked. "Yes, ma'am."

Impa's eye twitched. " _Ma'am?_ "

A mischievous grin broke across Zelda's face. "I know! We can play hide and seek. Impa is too good at it, but with you it'll be fun."

Link frowned. "This doesn't seem fair. You live here, and its massive"

Impa crossed her arms. "A warrior must be ready-"

Link cut her off. "I hope that won't be an excuse for everything!"

Zelda huffed. "Fine. You hide first then."

Link hesitated, before walking to the door. Before he exited, he had a thought.

"Impa," He called, pointing at her. "No helping."

He ran off before Zelda could protest.

* * *

"Impa helped you, I know it."

Zelda scoffed. "You won't accept me winning, will you?"

Hours had passed since they begun play. Candles had begun to be lit by servants, and amber light poured through the windows.

"You _can't_ be that good." Link insisted. "It's _impossible_."

Zelda winked. "Says the boy who traveled through time."

Link pursed his lips. "The Ocarina of Time is a powerful relic. I'm not even sure what happened my self." He frowned. "I guess, only you knew how, well, _will_ know how the Ocarina truely works."

Zelda stopped to laugh. "Does that ever get confusing?"

Link closed his eyes and shuddered. "Like you wouldn't believe."

"Zelda." Link jumped at the voice of Impa, who had appeared behind them. "Your father requests you in the dining room. Link, you are welcome to dine with them."

Link, having recovered from the shock, shook his head. "No thank you. I can just go into town and buy something there."

Zelda pulled on his arm. "Please Link. It'll be fine!" She begged.

Link pushed her off. "Sorry Zelda, but I, um, am not, comfortable at big tables." He stumbled over his words.

Zelda pouted. "You're making that up. Why don't you want to?" She persisted. "Are you scared? What are you scared of?" She gasped. "You don't want to because of _me?_ "

Links face screwed up in confusion. "What? Don't be silly! It just… uncomfortable… to me."

Link wasn't lying. When he lived as a Kokiri, he had eaten by himself with nothing but small stumps as tables and chairs. When he was in the future, he was lucky to have something to sit on. Everything now was far too large for him.

Zelda was going to pout, so Link hugged her to avoid that. "Please don't make me feel worse." He smiled at her. "I promise. Just this time. Promise. Next time I won't have anywhere to run to."

Zelda's mouth twitched. "And nowhere to hide."

Link chuckled. "Well, I suppose that's true."

He turned to walk towards his room when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Link," Impa spoke softly. "There is no need to leave the castle. If you wish, I can bring something from the kitchens."

Link brushed off her hands. "Thank you Impa. That would be... amazing"

He turned down the corridor and disappeared from sight.

* * *

 _The sky was on fire._

 _Embers fell to the ground, turning the castle town black. Monsters moved amongst the buildings, untouched by the flames._

 _People walked their usual route, ignorant of the threats that faced them. Some where crushed by collapsing buildings, others set ablaze, most cut down._

 _Link ran to those nearby, trying to warn them, screaming for them to flee, but he was invisible to them. They continued, blissfully unaware of their impending demise._

 _However, some of them were aware. Link saw a bearded Goron with a blue necklace try to fight the monsters, only to be cut down, his limb body rolling towards Link._

 _A scream. A Deku child writhed as its body was turned to ash._

 _A tattooed Zora stumbled towards Link. With every step, its flesh grew tighter, their body shrivelling up. It collapsed in front of Link, nothing more then scales over bones._

 _Link fled, failing to ignore everyone he passed. A red headed girl, clutching her head and banging it onto a wall, over and over. A Gerudo wearing red, looting a dead body before being crushed by a falling building. A boy with purple hair dragging the limp body of a woman in a blue dress. A stalfos sitting in a throne shaped by rubble. They were all doomed._

 _Link escaped from the town as it collapsed behind him. The only thing left standing was an immense clock, ticking down. Link watched as the clock struck the hour, and the sky went dark, the only light was from the burning town. He looked skywards. The was no longer a moon in the sky. It was falling, like the embers before it. A snarling face had been carved into its surface, and the eyes glowed a sickening orange._

 _Link fell to the ground, unable to look away from the end of all. There was nothing he could do, and no one left to help him._

 _A figure emerged from the ashes of the town. A being in pure black armour with a metal faceplate. Link tried to back away from him, but found his body wouldn't respond. He looked down to see a blade sticking out of his chest. The armoured man leaned down from behind Link and whispered to him. As the moon struck the Earth, a wall of fire charged towards them. Link screamed as and his flesh was striped from his bone and-_

* * *

Link awoke screaming, slashing his sword in a blind panic.

He blinked. His was still in Hyrule Castle, still in the room Zelda chose for him. He looked down and clutched his chest. His clothes were drenched in sweat, but there was no blood. His hands were shaking so much he had to put down his blade.

He curled up and held back his tears. He thought that it would get better, that the dreams would eventually stop. But they never did. He looked at his sword arm. Even in the dim light, he could see the pale scar that coiled around his arm. A reminder.

Link clenched his fist, his mind made up. "Fine." He muttered to himself. "I'll do it."

He got out of bed unsteadily, resheathed his sword, and changed into his Kokiri tunic. He had dreaded this moment, but he needed to do this. He knew that much.

* * *

 **Adults lying to children, "its in the eyes", not believing someones abilities, a dream sequence and waking up being killed.**

 **Anyone else got crappy cliche bingo?**


	6. Chapter 6 - Pig in Chains

The security was unsettlingly lacklustre.

Link had managed to sneak into the dungeon with relative ease, only occasionally needing to hide in the shadows as the guards patrolled the cold hallways. Link, in spite of himself, was amused by how simple it was to sneak around the castle. The guards didn't seem to notice him as long as he wasn't in front of them.

Ridiculous.

Link snuck further and further into the depths of the castle, with the candlelight becoming more and more sparse, until he reached the deepest part of the castle. Link didn't know how far under the castle he was, but it was far beyond the reach of any natural light.

Deeper, deeper, until he could do no further.

Link found himself facing cell, the only thing separating them was as narrow hallway. He took a deep breath before striding towards the cell.

* * *

The heavy doorway was forced open with an echoing creak. Behind the iron bars, the prisoner lifted his head. It was a young boy, and he was alone. Curious.

Link closed the cell and stood by the bars, gazing into the shadows. His eyes hadn't adjusted yet, but he knew what he would see.

The prisoner let out a quite soft chuckle. "I did not realise that they were allowing visitors." He spoke quietly, but each word passed through Link and bounced off the walls. "If you would be so kind, I would like to see my mothers." Link caught a flash of teeth in the darkness. "I imagine they would be quite… concerned."

"I'm no visitor." Link said in a dull voice.

"Ah." The prisoner rumbled. "Then you snuck in? Impressive."

"Hardly." Link scoffed. "Even if it was, your words are hollow."

The prisoner laughed. "No no, my words are _honeyed._ Isn't that much sweeter?"

Link remained silent, so the prisoner continued. "Why did you go to all this effort? To see if the stories are true?"

"To make sure of it." Link responded.

Chains rattled within behind the bars. "Well, here I am. The mighty King of the Gerudo, chained like a common criminal. Do you feel fear? Pity? Or perhaps superiority?"

The shadows no longer concealed the prisoner from Link. Behind the bars, the prisoner was lounging against the wall, each of his limbs in shackles. The only thing he wore over his olive skin was a rag like shirt and pants, as if made from a sack. His fiery hair had grown long after months of imprisonment. His face was cruel, amber eyes narrowed, mouth twisted in a sneer. The only thing that indicated his former grander was a topaz in a nest of iron embedded into his forehead, just above his raven like nose.

He was right. Pitiful.

The prisoner interrupted his thoughts. "I was expecting more bravado." He mused. "Or fear. But you show… nothing." He raised his head, as if to look down at the boy. "Little more than a blank slate."

Link gave him a thin smile. "Oh, don't worry." He said. "On the inside, I've got thousands of scratches and scars and fingerprints."

The prisoner laughed. "You fascinate me to no end, boy."

Links smile fell. "Glad I could entertain." He turned and went to open the door, and stopped. _Time,_ he thought, _to end this pointless banter._

"Leaving so soon boy?" The prisoner called.

"No." Link responded. "I have a question."

The chains rattled in the cell. "Hmm. Very well. You may ask."

Link looked over his shoulder and glared. "You do you really expect to get out?"

Silence. Then, a chuckle. "My, my. You continue to surprise." The chuckle evolved into a roar of laughter that shook Link to the core. As the laughter died down, the prisoner leaned forward. "Of course I expect to be free. I will not rot here like a pathetic swine."

Link dropped his head and let a small chuckle escape him. "No. You will never get free."

The prisoner craned forwards more, his muscles straining against his shackles. "You know so little, _boy._ " He growled. "I rule over a people who have survived the desert through theft, trickery and murder. Magic flows throughout the veins of us all. Even without them, there are hundreds of ways for me to get free. You are smart, boy, but far too naive to comprehend the power I possess." His teeth flashed once more. "You are a skull in a pile of bones. Nothing more. I hold all the cards, and have mastered the game."

Link turn and pressed his face against the bars and glared at the prisoner. "You may hold the cards, but I know move you will make."

The prisoner returned to lounging against the wall. "A boast not convincing from a child."

"The witches are your first option."

The prisoner blinked, stunned by these words.

"They will do anything to free you, and their magic is reliable, isn't it?"

Silence.

"If that doesn't work, perhaps an attack? Distract the knights long enough for you to get free? Or perhaps take a hostage? Like you said, your people are master thieves. Just steal a royal." Link sneered. "That is, if they will even follow you."

"I am their king." The prisoner growled.

"And you almost brought them into war."

"Everything I'd did was for them."

"Don't lie to me." Link spat. "I've proved that I am no fool." He stepped away from the bars. "No matter what you do, what you plan, I will stop you. Remember this face, for you will curse it a thousand times. I will gladly die if it meant you would meet a fitting end."

The prisoner's voice was quiet, each word laced with rage. "I have no qualms with killing you, boy. I would relish in it. Perhaps I'd even give you a sword so you can die with dignity."

Link's smile turned hostile. "If that time comes, I wish you luck." He opened the cell door and exited. "Because it's a lot easier to win when you can cheat."

* * *

Link locked the cell and headed up the stairway. Upon climbing a single flight of stairs, he froze. The was someone watching him for above. He couldn't make out who it was until they spoke.

"Impa sent me to check on you." Nelo said matter of factly.

Links silent as his heart raced. _No, no one was suppose to know about this._ He began to panic. _She'll ask question. No one but Zelda can know about the future I changed._

Nelo tilted her head. "You shouldn't have come down here." She turned and ascended the stairway. "Come on."

Link obliged, head downcast.

Nelo looked back. "Why would you go there?"

Link shook his head. He wasn't ready to trust her, not yet.

Nelo sighed. "Don't worry, no one will hear us." Before Link could ask, she followed up with "Sheikah can move unnoticed, but helps if people stay away."

Link's jaw we set firm. He could spin a tale. "I needed to make sure."

Nelo raised an eyebrow. "You helped with stopping Ganondorf. So why would you feel you had to 'make sure' then?"

Link shrugged. "Fear. Maybe to put my mind at ease. Who knows?"

"You do."

Link stopped. "Why did Impa tell you to check on me? You're King Robins attendant, right?"

Nelo turned to him, and Link assumed she was smiling behind her cowl. "Yes, right now I serve the king. But he has ordered that, when Zelda takes the throne, I will become her attendant." She resumed her climb. "Besides, Impa is almost twice as old as me. Respect your elders, I suppose"

Link frowned. "Wait… Impa isn't that old."

Nelo laughed. "No, she isn't!" She turned and shook her head. "How old do you think I am?"

Blushing slightly, Link muttered "Um… maybe twenty?" Nelo brought her right hand up to her mouth and giggled.

"Not quite. Only seventeen."

"Oh." Link looked at his feet. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Now get to bed before someone sees you."

Link made a face. "That's it? You're not going to tell anyone?"

Nelo shrugged. "We sheikah value secrecy. I'm sure it won't hurt to let this one slide."

After a moments hesitation, Link trudged up the stairs and called back softly "Thank you."


	7. Chapter 7 - No time for the Present

Link closed the book and placed it in the growing pile beside him. Still, his efforts bore no fruit. He looked out a nearby window. The sun had risen over the kingdom, and cast the sprawling fields in golden light. He had never seen it from this high up. He had to admit, the castle had excellent view of the kingdom.

"By Hylia, don't you know how to sleep in?"

Link smiled as the princess approached with Impa trailing behind, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Every day, three days, you're up before the sun."

"What can I say?" Link shrugged. "When I set my mind to something, I wont stop until that something is done."

Zelda sat next to him lay her head on the table. Her hair was still tasselled from sleep, which was cute to Link. "You look better without your hat." Link said meekly.

Zelda blushed. "You think so?"

He grinned. "Without a shadow of a doubt."

Impa picked up the book at the top of the pile, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "You shouldn't be reading on this subject. The Interloper War is no subject for a child to read on."

Links face became serious. "I'm only reading the sections on those that died." He indicated to the books beside him. "You think I'm able read this many in a few hours?"

"Regardless," Impa placed the book on the table. "You should find better material to read."

Zelda scratched her head. "Found anything yet?"

Link flopped into the chair. "No, still nothing. My father could be-" He opened a book and selected a name randomly. "Captain Linebeck for all i know."

Impa shook her head. "Well, no. Linebeck had no family."

Zelda and Link looked at Impa. "You knew him?" Link asked.

Impa smiled. "Yes. A grouchy man, but smart." She chuckled. "I just remembered. He hated me. Could never stand us Sheikah, but he loathed me in particular."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, so not related to me then."

"I'm afraid not. Will you join us for breakfast?"

"Sure." Link got down from the chair and headed for the door, but Impa stopped him.

"It would be rude to leave these books here." She turned to Zelda. "Go ahead princess. I will help Link put these away."

Zelda nodded and, after a moment of uncertainty, left the two of them.

Link picked up as many books and he could carry and Impa picked up the rest. As Link began returning the volumes to the shelves, Impa said "How much more did you read?"

Link hesitated. "Not much."

"Young man, do not lie to a Sheikah."

Link shook his head. "I'm not. I didn't read much more."

"Then what _did_ you read?"

Another hesitation. "Basic background on the war. Nothing more."

"Tell me _exactly_ what you read."

"How it started, why it started, how it end-" He cut himself off, but it was too late.

Impa shook her head. "You shouldn't have read it Link."

"I didn't mean to, I swear."

Impa waved her hand. "It doesn't matter. The past can't be changed." Link strained a smile, and went to say something, but Impa stopped him with a look. "Do not joke about the subject."

"Sorry."

Impa took one of Links books and put it in a shelf beyond his reach. "Right now, I do not care about what you have done. You have proven you are capable of withstanding any horrors you face." She turned, her face stern. "But you will not repeat anything to Zelda."

Link blinked in surprise. "Ok, but… why?"

"I do not want her to know what the King had to do. He is her hero, and the decisions he made weigh on his shoulders to this day. Let her only see him as her hero. I won't let her learn about it. Not yet." She returned another book. "All she knows is that she was born months after it ended. I want to keep it that way. Do you understand?"

Link nodded. "Yes."

"Yes..?"

"Yes ma'am."

She shot him a glare. " _Excuse me?_ "

"I mean, yes Impa."

Slowly, she turned away and they both resumed putting away the various volumes.

* * *

Breakfast was simple, for royalty. Buttered bread, a variety of sliced fruits and vegetables, eggs cook in every way imaginable and small servings of meat.

When Link and Impa arrived, Zelda already had already piled on an unprincess like amount of each on her plate.

"You look hungry." Link said with a straight face.

Zelda stuck her nose up. "Does it matter I am?"

"Please," Impa muttered under her breath. "remember to wipe your mouth."

Link took a seat next to Zelda and started to get his breakfast. He selected a pear, some mushrooms, a couple of slices of bread, an egg and a single slice of meat. Impa, who stood behind the princess, took an apple and nothing more.

"Are these Cucco eggs?" Link asked as he stuffed his mouth with with the sweet bread. Zelda simply nodded, her mouth too full to speak. He smiled. "I'd hate to be the person that had to get those."

Zelda swallowed. "Yes, they can be scary."

The food was glorious, as to be expected. Link, having lived in the forest most of his life, adored fresh fruit, and he had grown to enjoy how Hylians prepared their mushrooms. He had never liked them raw. The meat, however, was amazing. The Kokiri rarely had access to meat, and hunting in the Lost Woods was too dangerous, not to mention a terrifying experience.

"What is this?" Link asked, indicating to the meat on his fork.

"Um…" Zelda thought for a moment before Impa answered.

"It's pork."

Suddenly his stomach churched, and the taste was no longer pleasant in his mouth.

Zelda caught this change. "Link, are you ok?"

"Yeah." Link smiled weakly. "I just… don't like pig, thats all."

Before the conversation could continue, Nelo entered the dining hall, followed soon after by the King and finally the old Sheikah. Impa bowed her head and Zelda gave a sunny smile. Link decided to follow Impas lead. The King waved his hand in acknowledgement.

"Good morning." He said as he sat himself opposite his daughter, grinning at her. "You seem hungry."

The princess threw her arm in the air. "Why does it matter if I eat a lot!"

"It matters if you use that dresses a napkin."

Behind the princess, Impa silently thanked the king. Smiling, he tore himself some bread as Nelo collected the various foods onto a plate.

Link cleared his throat. "You highness?"

The king turned his attention to Link. "Yes, what is it, my boy?"

"Is something happening today?" He said, indicating to the kings clothes.

Unlike the previous few days, the king was dressed extravagantly. He wore an azure tunic, around his neck he wore a large diamond incrusted necklace, and a golden crown rested comfortably on his head. Dressed to impress.

The king finished chewing before responding. "Yes. Today I am meeting with my advisors to discuss your… appeal."

Links heart skipped a beat. He felt as if his future was being shaped before him. Despite the emotions racing around his head, he felt his face remain blank. Strange, how he could deal with these sorts of feelings. "I see." He said in a flat voice.

Impa placed down the apple core and began to brush the princesses hair. "Don't worry, Link. Your Highness will do what is right. It does no good to spend unnecessary energy on matters beyond your control."

Nelo set down the plate in front of the king, who thanked her. "I agree with Impa." He said. "Treat today as any other. I'm sure my daughter will keep you quite distracted."

"Father!"

"I jest. But please, keep Link occupied. He's too young to be stressed in such a way."

She nodded. "Yes father."

Impa sighed. "Princess, _please_ stay still."

"Sorry Impa." she grinned, allowing Impa to continue tending to her hair.

Not much more was said on the subject.

Once breakfast had finished, the king rose from his chair. "I must prepare to address my advisors. I won't be able to meet with you until tonight, so please, no interruptions."

"Yes father."

The old Sheikah draped a scarlet cloak over the kings shoulders, completing the kings image. Satisfied, the king marched off, Nelo ahead, and the old Sheikah his shadow.

Zelda turned to Link. "When was the last time you waved around your sword?"

He shrugged. "When I arrived."

"Why don't you get it? You could practice with Impa. Don't want you to get dull now."

He nodded and got out of his seat, heading to his room. When he was out of sight, the Sheikah gave the princess an approving look. Smart, that girl.

* * *

 **Ugh, writing is hard. If I don't update this every week, it'll probably fall into obscurity. And that'll be depressing.**

 **Also, it's hard because if you write something dumb, it will forever be a** ** _bad fanfic._** **I am currently having this problem with a later part in the story. I'll probably do it, but I'll have to be careful about it. Don't want to ruin the whole thing.**


	8. Chapter 8 - Repition

"A single blow. Once you do that, training will end."

Link nodded, not wanting to waste energy talking. He had trained with Impa before, and it had been hell then. But now, he was shorter, slower and had a smaller reach. Now, it was going to be like kissing a Skultula, but less fun.

Once again they were on the training field. Zelda sat atop some crates alongside the field, grinning.

Impa nodded. "If you are ready, raise your blade."

Link didn't respond, slowly approaching Impa with shield raised. He couldn't catch her off guard, he knew that, but it could hurt to try. His sword was low, so it was obscured by his shield. When he was in striking distance, he lunged forwards in a stab, but Impa had already moved, darting to the side. Link followed her with his blade, and somehow Impa slid underneath the swing, moving behind Link, who tried to catch her by arcing his sword down at her, only to lose his drip as Impa repelled the attack with her knife. Disarmed, Link backed away from the Sheikah, who twirled the knife in her hands.

"You must account for every action." She smirked. Link collected his blade, not taking his eyes off the Sheikah. Why had he agreed to this?

Zelda giggled. "You'll never hit Impa. It's like grasping smoke."

Link pointed at her. "You're not helping."

He approached her again, his sword raised above his head, a stance he adapt with. He advanced and slashed downward following with a swing back up. Impa barely attempted to avoid them, having them pass her a hairs breadth from her body. He continued the assault, Impa avoiding every blow with ease. Sheikah were trained to tap into the magic flowing through their veins, but Impa didn't try to access these abilities. Her trainer put her a hundred leagues above the any knight.

The princess called out. "Come on Link! I've done better then that!"

"Zelda, do not taunt him" Impa scolded. "He is acting to the best of his capabilities."

Link took this distraction to stab at the Sheikah, but Impa was ready, and while taken off guard, she was able to leap over Link, landing like a cat behind him. But Link was already in movement, spinning his blade with all his might, recoiling as it struck metal. Surprised, he looked to see Impa crouched, her knife raised in defence. "Impressive." She sighed, observing the damage to her knife. The blade was nicked, with faint cracks encompassing the surface of the metal. She tapped the blade on her leg, and with that final blow, the knife shattered, metal shards littering the floor.

"I'm sorry Impa… I didn't-" Link was cut off.

"Why are you so insistent on acting like this?" Impa asked. "You disarmed me. Any knight would be proud of such an achievement." She nodded. "Well then, come and have another go."

* * *

"Let this meeting come to order."

The table was surrounded by people with varying histories, but they all were united by a single man, the King. With him at the head of the table, Nelo behind and the old Sheikah at his side, they all took their seats.

The King addressed the advisors. "I assume you know why we are here. No doubt you have your preconceived thoughts on the matter, so before a decision is made, we must discuss this predicament."

A man with copper hair cleared his voice. "Your highness, if I may?"

"You may Roran."

"This idea… it's ridiculous. Training our children for war? You cannot allow this to pass."

"I agree with you."

A bald woman cleared her throat. "If thats the case, what is the point of this meeting?"

"Just because i don't like an idea doesn't mean I don't see potential merit."

Roran tilted his head. "So we are trying to convince… you?"

The king shook his head. "Convince each other."

At the end of the table, a slim large eared man stood up. "I, for one," he proclaimed, "think that this idea, truely, is a great, very great idea."

The old Sheikah scowled. "Sit down Leon."

A dark skinned man, Dumi, raised his hand. "To elaborate on Leons poetic language, training youths in military tactics and combat would be incredibly beneficial should Hyrule fall into conflict. It takes years to master the blade and, in personal experience, the earlier you begin, the longer you survive."

"I have my doubts." Roran muttered.

"Agreed." Said Saife, a short man from Eldin. "Drafting children, no matter how willing, could cause discontent from the citizens. An uprising is the last thing we need."

"That is true, but the people are hardly bitter to toward the King. The question is, why would we need them?" She turned to the King. "Are you expecting conflict?"

"No."

A young Sheikah made a face. "Then why bring this up anyway?"

For a split second, the King hesitated. Then he spoke firmly. "The idea was brought to my attention by my attendant."

In the shadows, Nelo tried to make herself small, feeling all eyes on her. The centre of attention was the last place a Sheikah should be. Thats what they all are told at a young age. She felt exposed, naked. She wished the king hadn't shifted blame to her.

"I see." The young Sheikah spoke slowly. "Nelo. How creative of you."

Nelo remained silent.

The King banged his hand on the table. "Enough. Nelo is my attendant and I expect you will treat her with respect."

She nodded. "Of course, your highness."

The king pinched his nose. "Can we please continue with why we are here? I would appreciate that."

Not much more was said to progress the debate. Arguments were repeated, insults were thrown, and the King forgot why he confided in many of them. However, one thing struck him above all others.

 _Hylia above this is tedious._

* * *

Under the beating Sun, Link was lying on the ground panting when Zelda dumped half a bucket of water on him.

He wiped the water from his face. "Thank you. I needed that." Zelda then proceeded to dump the rest of the water on him. He tilted his head. "Thanks." He said dryly.

She laughed. "I can get some more if you want."

"Don't push you luck."

Impa strolled back onto the grounds, her hands bandaged. In the past few hours, Link hand made his blade strike her, but only when she caught his blade. _Technically,_ she had told Link, _I blocked your blade. Therefor, you have struck me yet._

Link had called that argument words that had earned him smack on the back of the head.

"I assume you are rested?" She called to the boy.

Link stood up and cringed out his cap. "And refreshed, thanks to Zelda."

"Then raise you blade."

Link charged and began his assault, and Impa renewed her unbreakable defence. If Link slashed, she would weave around it. If he stabbed, she would bat it away. They had been going this for hours, and Impa was beginning to grow overconfident.

"I have memorised every action you can take."

Link growled.

"You can give in if you wish."

Link glared. "Why are talking so much? Weren't you berating Zelda for taunting?"

Impa shrugged. "I guess I'm unimpressed."

Link brought his sword down in a shining arc, only for Impa to catch it in her hand, her grip drawing blood. "Impress me."

Link tried to pull his sword back, but only caused blood to slick the edge. He focused, and brought his shield back and with all his strength, and before Impa could respond, he drove it into Impas stomach. She keeled over and, inadvertently, released her grip on the sword. In a moment, Link brought his blade to the Sheikahs throat, and the both froze.

"Well. I think we have learnt a lesson." Link panted. "That getting overconfident is not a good idea."

He sheathed his sword and shield. "Can I go now or have you got another excuse to continue?"

Impa straightened herself. "No. You've succeeded." She looked into his eyes. "You are right. I shouldn't have become confident. Thank you for that reminder."

Link smiled and walked towards the princess. "Can we play hide and seek now? I don't want to move much."

* * *

 **Ok i have a lot to say so sorry about this.**

 **First, a few days ago i realised that chapter 4 was replaced with chapter 6. Why, I have no idea, but its fixed now, but still, sorry.**

 **Also, politics is boring. The kings thoughts at the ends was my thoughts on the matter. Writing it is tedious. Why do i even write politics? Politics suck. Probably won't do something like that again**

 **This was a bit of a train wreck of a chapter, wasn't it? I'm tired.**

 **But the most important thing!**

 **Guess you got Breath of the Wild and the switch just over a week ago for their birthdaaaaay?**

 **MMEEEEEEEEEE!**


	9. Chapter 9 - Subtly Hints

Link slumped against the chair. "So… they got nowhere."

"Correct.

"And the King was opposed?"

"Correct."

"Oh."

Once again Link had lost hours hiding and searching for the princess. It had tried him, but this news had drained him. Fate seemed to enjoy punching him in the guts. He hated fate. Fate is terrible, in his mind.

"Now what?"

Impa down looked to Zelda to make sure she was asleep. "The debate will continue until they come to a conclusion. In the mean time, word will spread among the people. The king wants to see what they think on the matter."

"I see." Link nodded. "Anything else?"

"No."

"Right. I'll take my leave then." He stood. "Good night Impa."

She smiled. "Good night young man."

He left the chamber and stumbled into his room before he registered he had moved anywhere. He lay in his bed, but found himself unable to rest. _Perfectly understandable,_ he reasoned. _You have a thousand and one thoughts racing through your mind right now. You have to keep waiting for your path to appear._ He rolled over. But w _hy is it taking so long?_

He sat up and removed his sword from under his pillow, trying to make the bed more comfortable. Unfortunately, that just make him more restless.

A thought tugged at his mind. _Perhaps… I could speed up this process._ There had to be a way, he knew it. People can always be influenced, not easily, but they could be. _Hmm._

The people would just learn about it tomorrow. He had to act when they were still confused about the situation. _I can talk to them, spin the wheel my way._

He smiled, formulating a plan in his head.

 _I'll have to take a trip to the town tomorrow._

* * *

By the time the sun had reached its zenith, the town was abuzz the the sounds of debate. News had quickly spread of what was being proposed. Some were opposed. Some found it favourable.

Many were confused. Brilliant.

Link was learning against the mask shop, watching the world go by. The shop had only been open a couple of months when the owner had vanished. Vandals had ransacked the place, and over a few short months the windows were smashed and the walls graffitied. Multiple groups had attempted to claim the building, though they always gave up before work could begin. Something about strange dreams.

He had decided that, due to his presence at Hyrule Castle over the past week, it would be best if he didn't wear his Kokiri garb, something that irritated him to no end. He could have taken the form of Damani or Mikau, but Gorons enjoy pointless violence and Zora could care less. Ultimately, he decided just being Hylian would be best. He wore a white shirt, which were admirably a bit too big, and plain trousers. Without his cap, his head felt bare, as if every breeze could tear off his hair. Still, as long as the king didn't hear about this excursion, and it made a difference, he was happy to have an itchy neck.

"Ridiculous." A passing man said to his friends. "We're supposed to be a step above barbarians, not down at their level." For all intents and purposes, this was an opportunity.

"What are you talking about?" He asked innocently. "Is it the knights training?"

The man pursed his lips. "Yes, boy, though technically they would be Pages or Squires. But we've gone beyond evil needs like that."

Link shrugged meekly. "I don't think its evil."

"Of course you wouldn't. You're too young."

 _Too young._

"But if the kingdom needs protection, knights trained longer would be better then none."

The man scoffed. "And why would we need protection?"

Link paused, feigning deep thought. "Well, after the Interloper War some kingdoms could think that Hyrule has been weakened. See it as the right time to bully us."

One of the mans friends "Interlopers? How- never mind. The only group that has an issue with Hyrule are those goddess forsaken Gerudo, and their not strong enough to be a threat."

The man chuckled. "But their strong in other places, am I right?"

The group burst into laughter. "And theres enough of them to go around."

Link seethed. "Ganondorf was ambitious and cruel." He caught himself before he continued, calming down. "He isn't a Gerudo."

"Don't be small minded. He's the man in charge, but has to have some people that support him."

"Wait." One of them muttered. "Why are we arguing with a kid? We dont need to justify our selves to him."

The first man nodded. "Right. Piss off kid. You're ruining our mood." And with a huff and a snicker, they stoled down the street making no attempt to hide that they were, in fact, still talking about Link. A woman approached Link. "I'm sorry, are you ok?" She asked. "Did those men do anything?"

He shock his head. "Just said mean things. They were saying that hurdle is going backwards and we're turning into barbarians."

She shook her head. "They're just upset about the idea of sending children to fight our battles."

"But thats not what's being said! It's training kids so they're ready as adults!"

"Young man, I think it's best if you leave this matter to the adults."

Maybe he should have used the Zora mask.

Link brought his hands to his face. "For Din's sake you're idiots!"

The woman recoiled. "What?"

Link froze, realising he had let his mask slip. "I- ah, meant that- I um." He curse under his breath. "What I mean is that you old people think that we're stupid because you've been around longer then us. But if you just listen, we actually know stuff."

The woman huffed. "Shouldn't you be looking for your parents?"

"No, I have no family and I'm looking for a better life." He shrugged. "Pitiful huh."

"Oh." She softened. "I didn't understand. I'm sorry. Now I understand why you're so fixed on this."

"You are? Thats nice. But I shouldn't stick around strangers." Link said, desperate to leave before he left a lasting impression. And with that, he ran down the alleyway as quickly as possible, which was surprisingly fast for someone wearing itchy pants.

 _This is going to be harder then I hoped._

* * *

He tried to be subtler after that. Interjecting into conversations as he passed, saying what he thought and leaving, agreeing with people that supported the idea, and plain out arguing. He was a tedious process, and he never lingered more then a couple of minutes, but he when he returned to the castle that evening, he felt satisfied. He spent the rest of the day playing with Zelda and dodging questions from Impa. He had decided against further excursions, and prayed to the golden Goddesses that it was enough.

It was.

* * *

 **Why did this take so long? Why is it a mess? Because I don't plan ahead. I have no idea how I got here and I'm trying to find a street sign I recognise.**

 **Happy Easter to all you idiots. Sorry this is taking so long to get to the fun stuff. Trust me, I have plot twists and foreshadowing and princess bride references I need to get to. I'm so sorry. I hope within the next few chapters I can jumpstart the conflict. The problem is I can't just dive right in and hit the ground running. I'll break my legs if I do that. Then you'll all go on without me.**

 **At least one more chapter. At most three. I promise.**


	10. Chapter 10 - With Both Hands

The barracks had been remodelled into a makeshift dormitory for the Knights in training. Six beds took up the room, and little more to decorate the drab stone walls. Link, for all his pessimism, found this to be a welcome sight.

He, along with four other children, were the only ones that were part of this program. Link quickly figured out that at least two of them were nobility, while the other two seemed closer to just residents of the Castle Town. The nobility unpacked an unnecessary amount of comforts and utilities that they were trying to stuff under their beds. The commoners, however, simply took out their personal belongings and tried to get comfortable on their beds. Links bed already had his sword and shield resting by the end and his travel bag underneath the bed. He enjoyed this, figuring out these kids with this little information. Made him feel clever. He looked to his boots to hide his grin

"Hey, mind if I sit down?"

He looked up to see one of the nobility smirking down at him. He had wild auburn hair, a devilish smile and sharp green eyes. Link shook his head. "It's fine."

The smile widened. "Cheers." He said, jovially falling besides Link. "So, what's your name?"

"Ah, I'm Link."

The boy offered out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Link. Seems we'll have to be putting up with each other for a while."

Link shook his hand. "I apologise in advance."

The boy cackled. "Yeah, you'll get none of those from me."

"So, what your name?"

The boys face became serious. "I am Duncan Ilan Dramis Dawning of Eldin."

A moment passed, and the boy broke out into a grin. "But nobody calls me that. Call me Diddy."

Link smiled. "Ok then, Diddy, nice to meet you."

"We doing introductions?" Called over the other noble child with a sharp tone. It was a girl a bit older than Link, tall, lean with long, tangled sandy hair. "So, you're Diddy, and you are?"

"Link."

"The names Eshie. I'm from Lanayru."

Link nodded. "Nice to meet you Eshie."

Eshie turned to the other two. "You wanna join in? Or are you ok with boy one and boy two?"

A boy with a round face and dark hair frowned. "As long as I'm not two, I'm fine with that." He said gruffly.

The other, lanky and golden haired, shrugged. "Eh, I'm Oulson." His voice making every word sound like a whinge.

The first boy grunted. "Ok, I'm boy one."

Diddy rolled his eyes. "His name is Aram."

The boy who's name was apparently Aram glared. "Hey, how do you know?"

"It's on your bag."

The boy took a moment to check if Diddy had, in fact figured out his name from his bag. "Oh," He muttered meekly. "right then."

Eshie grinned. "I can still call you boy one if you want."

"Really?"

"Nah, it's dumb."

Link took a moment and looked around the room, at all the people he would be training with. It struck him that he was finally doing what he wanted to do. He would be wasting the experiences he had. He was finally taking control of his life.

The door opened and Captain Viscen walked into the room. "Hello children." He nodded to Link. "Good to see you Link." When Link smiled in response, Viscen continued addressing everyone. "I am Captain Viscen. In light of this new program, I will be training you. I'd like to say it's because I'm the best candidate, but that's probably a lie.

"I'll give you the rest of the day to settle in. Bathroom is just behind you and we'll meet at the mess hall for dinner. You'll know when to leave as you'll see the candles being lit. Tomorrow you'll wake before the sun rises. I'll assess your abilities with basic weapons to see how much you know. If you want to use your own weapons, that's fine, as long as you don't hurt each other. Durning training you'll have to wear uniform, but any other time, you can be stark naked and not get in trouble _with me._ Did you get all that?"

There was a collective "yes" and Viscen marched out into the cool air, satisfied with their first interaction.

Diddy turned to Link. "You got any weapon you favour?"

"Yeah, I'm a swordsman."

He winked. "Ah, a classic. Eshie?" All she did to respond was raise her fists. Diddy shrugged. "Fair enough. What about the rest of you?"

Aram shook his head. "Never got my hands on anything before."

Oulson nodded. "Same. Unless you count a pitchfork as a weapon."

"Well," grinned Diddy, "Now that you mention it."

* * *

"Alright, wake up!"

Link had woken up in a variety of ways. Once, a Skultula thought he was a giant frog. Another time Navi panicked when she couldn't get out of his hat. However, he disliked being woken up by an shouting man the least, because it just seemed mean spirited.

"Get in uniform and I'll meet you on the training grounds in ten minutes."

Diddy fell out of his bed. "What about breakfast?"

Viscen shook his head. "Don't worry, you're not as hungry until you eat your first meal. When we've trained for two hours, then you eat. Then we'll get you some horses."

Diddy made a face. "I'm always hungry."

Viscen threw him a small sack. "It's nuts. It'll hold you over until then."

"I need more then that."

"Tough." With that, Viscen left.

Eshie managed to crawl out of her bed and grabbed her uniform.

Link frowned at her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm getting into my uniform."

"Where?"

"The bathroom."

Link frowned. "Why?"

"Because you're all probably perverts."

Link blinked. "Oh. Yeah, good idea."

"No," Oulson slurred. "Bad idea."

She headed out, calling through the doorway "You guys need to get ready too."

Link managed to drag hisself out of bed and began putting on his uniform. As he put on his shirt, he felt Diddys eyes on him.

"What?"

"Ah, its probably none of my business, but-" he pointed at Links sword arm. "How the hell did you get that scar?"

 _Shall we play?_

Link flinched at his own thoughts. The scar was a large snake had coiled up his arm, burning his skin as it moved.

"Hey, Link, you ok?"

Link took a breath. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Sorry." Diddy muttered. "I didn't mean to- I won't mention it again, promise."

Link smiled. "It's ok. But it's a secret to everybody." He slipped on his shirt and reached for his chain mail vest. "You should probably put on some clothes."

Diddy saluted. "Yes sir."

* * *

They all arrived at the training grounds within ten minutes, immediately impressing the Captain.

"I half expected at least one of you to take twice as long." He smiled. "I admit, this is a good start." He indicated to a variety of weapons and targets. "Each of you, take to a station. You will spend an equal amount of time at each. Decide amongst yourselves who goes where." He turned to Link. "You should take to the sword last."

"Why?"

"I've already seen what you can do with a sword son, there's no need to see it again."

Link tried to hide his embarrassment as the others tried to figure out if he was complimented or insulted. "Um, I'll take the spear first then."

Diddy raised his hand. "Bow over here."

"Sword." Called Aram.

Oulson pointed to a weapon laying on a crate. "Whats that one?"

Viscen sighed. "That's a flail."

He turned to Eshie. "You want that?"

She shrugged. "Why not?"

Oulson turned to the Captain. "Whats left?"

"Axes."

Oulson scowled. "Oh, far out."

Viscen raised his arms. "Alright, if you're all settled, then go to you station."

Oulson raised his hand. "Can I change?"

Viscen ignored him. "When I tell you, rotate to your right. Well?" He asked. "Move it."

Link struggled with the spear. He wasn't used to a weapon like it, so when he jabbed at the dummy, the tip would glance off, despite his relatively good aim. After slowly getting the hang of the spear, he took a moment to see how the others were doing. Diddy was a master with the bow, and even in the low light he was an excellent marksmen. Aram didn't seem suited to the sword, his swings too wide and too forceful. He was more of axeman, in Links eyes. Eshie was struggling with the flail, often missing the target and almost hitting herself. Thankfully they weapon was only wooden, but by the curses she was throwing out, it hurt a lot. Oulson was just embarrassing to watch, barely able to lift the axe over his shoulders to attack. Link hoped he wouldn't tire himself to before he moved on to the other weapons.

A while later, Viscen called for rotation. At this point, he noticed the knights practicing with swords, completely ignoring the younger recruits, which baffled Link. In his experience, adults will always demonstrate superiority to younger people. As he moved to the flail, to approached the Captain.

"Is there something going on with the knights?"

Viscen frowned. "Why are asking?"

"Well," Link muttered. "they seem very focused."

Viscen raised an eyebrow. "You've never heard of the Masters Tournament?" Link shook his head. "The tournament is one of Hyrules oldest traditions, the first recorded one being near the end of King Gustafs rule. Swordsmen from all over Hyrule and then some gather in town to see who's best." He grinned. "I tried my hand in it a few years ago."

"I'm assuming you didn't win." Diddy called.

"Why's that?"

"You wouldn't be wasting time with us!"

"Well, I must agree."

Link tapped Viscens shoulder. "What happens if you win?"

"You get a replica of the holy sword forged by the Picori, and those swords are tougher then anything I've ever held."

"When is it?"

Viscen shrugged. "Few weeks from now, you'll all get a day off. When you're older you should take a crack at it."

Link grinned. "I'm not that good Captain."

"Bull."

Link looked over at the knights once again. With how seriously they were taking this, he couldn't wait to see them all in action.

* * *

 **Ah, writing with actual effort in it. Feels good.**

 **I created Eshie for one specific joke/point. I'll tell you when we get to it. But she is also important so don't look at her as a joke character. Don't look at any of them as joke characters.**

 **Huh, I've noticed I usually describe people with their hair first. Weird.**

 **Ok, the next chapter is when things start to get more intense, but mostly at the end of the chapter. The chapter after that is where things get violent. I'm not going to hold back, ok? If you are squeamish or faint of heart or young, please drop this story. As of now, I'm not going to go in sexual explicit content, but I _will_ go into bloody content the further I get into the story. I'd advise being 15 or up.**

 **Please, I don't want to scar you for life. Be** **responsible. Don't do drugs. Or politics.**


	11. Chapter 11 - Sworn through Swords

The tournament began late in the morning, but no one had seemed to sleep that long. A several small arenas were set up between Hyrule Castle and the town, with a special platform for the King and the princess, the lucky knight who were guarding them getting the best view.

Link had skipped the initial battles, preferring to go to the town and spend time there. Eshie and Diddy had tagged along, wanted to get to know each other better. They had bought various foods, with Link aiming to satisfy his sweet tooth, Diddy going for hot foods, and Eshie stealing from both of them.

"I meant to ask," Eshie said, poking Link in the arm. "Whats with the green outfit."

"It's what I wore back home in the forest." Link replied before biting down on another slice of cake.

"Ok, fair enough, but why is it green?"

Link paused. "I actually have no idea. Maybe its the easiest dye to get in the forest, or matches the trees."

"Besides," Diddy interjected. "That hat would look stupid red."

Eshie smiled. "Probably worse purple." They laughed.

Link blushed. "Yeah, well, I dont question what you wear."

"Thats because none of use care."

"Right. Sure."

A group of small children ran past, almost trampling them over, giggling and waving around wooden swords.

Link grinned. "People really do come from all around, don't they?"

Diddy nodded, swallowing a steaming potato. "Yup. Few years ago the champion was from Hebra." He stuffed another potato in his mouth. "Diunt evuan noo tey 'ad ordsmun."

Eshie rolled her eyes. "Right…"

Link pursed his lips. "I wish Malon were here."

Eshie tilted her head. "Your ranch friend?"

"Yeah. I haven't seen her."

"They provide the milk right? They probably sell it to the stalls and make a profit of them. No need to stay here."

"Yeah you're right. Still a shame." He thought for a moment. "Is there any history to this tournament?"

She turned to Link. "Not much, but they say a few centuries ago a _demon_ won the tournament and used its power to unleash Demises forces on Hyrule."

Link frowned. "Is that a story or real?"

"Who knows? All we know is that there was a gap between tournaments and in that time monsters flooded Hyrule."

"Yet people still celebrate it?"

Diddy patted Link on the back. "It's a _festival_. Of course people are going to celebrate it! Good times outweigh the bad times."

Link shook his head. "I'm not sure thats a good excuse."

"Oh shush young one. Should we check out how the tournament's going? Don't wanna miss it all."

"You just want to see people get hurt."

Eshie tilted her head. "I see no problem with that."

Diddy pointed at her. "You scare me."

"You say the nicest things Diddy."

Before either of them could respond, she dragged them towards the masses and sounds of singing swords.

* * *

"Amazing." Link breathed. "Just… wow!"

The tournament had moved at an incredible rate. The less skilled swordsmen were weeded out quickly, but even when the experts crossed blades, the tournament didn't slow down. The clashes were fast, each move precise, less a test of ability, more a test of strategy, a clash of intellect. At this point in the day, only a third of the competition remained. At this rate, the completion would end by the next night.

Link had been watching a slim swords woman with a claymore outwit a fast moving rapier welder, and Link was sure that she had lost multiple times. Yet she not only won the duel, but came out without any more scratches to her armour. Link could only feel envious of her skill. He prayed to the golden goddesses that he would one day be as good as her. Or her opponent, for that matter. Anyone, really.

His thoughts were interrupted by Aram. "Link! You need to see this guy!"

Link pushed through the crowd, trying to get to get to the arena Aram was it. After much pushing, squirming and apologising, Link found himself next to Aram, having missed the duel. Aram was awestruck.

"He's incredible! I don't believe his skill!" He grinned at Link. "I think he's going to win this!"

Link craned his neck to look at the swordsman as he left the arena, and recoiled.

 _The black swordsman._

He couldn't make out the armour, the sword or even the build of the swordsman. But there was no denying, it was the man from his nightmare. Same void-black metal, same walk. Link felt his mind begin to shut down, but managed to steady himself. He didn't believe in coincidences, they always turned out to be manipulations. He tried to get another look at the man, but he had disappeared.

"Where is his next fight?"

Aram shook his head. "No idea. Tell me if you find him, please." And with that, he bolted off, searching for the black swordsman.

Link tried to find him as well, but to no avail. He failed to enjoy the rest of the day, too afraid that he would miss the man to notice that the day had ended. Diddy practically had to drag him back to their quarters for the night.

He didn't sleep well that night.

* * *

Link was at the arena by the time that the sunrise over the horizon. He spent the time he had before people arrived trying to find who the swordsman was, but he didn't recognise any crests. Not that he knew what he was looking for. Raven on a black shield? Black cat on a starry sky? He eventually gave up and tried to find out his man. Of course, no one knew, and by the time Link realised this, the tournament had restarted. This didn't deter him. He checked every arena he passed. He passed the swords woman from earlier against a large swords woman with twin scimitars, a bare chest long swordsman being soundly beat by a short man with a broadsword, and many more. Never the black swordsman.

"Oi, Link! What are you doing?"

Link looked up to see Oulson frowning at him. "I'm looking for someone. Black swordsman."

Oulson grunted. "Well, there's only half a dozen duels left. If your guys still in, he'll be closer to the Royals."

"There's only twelve left?" That couldn't be right. He looked skyward to see that the sun had already passed it's peak a couple of hours ago.

Oulsons brow creased. "Where have you been all day? Have you even eaten?"

Now that he mentioned it, Link was feeling rather hungry. He was silent for a moment. "No."

Oulson scowled. "Well hurry up! You'll miss the final duel if you take too long." And with that, he spun back and headed towards the arenas towards the castle.

Link thought for a moment. He _needed_ to check is the swordsman was there, but soon the stalls would be closed for the ceremonies.

He ran to the nearest stall and ordered a meat and mushroom skewer, payed the exact amount (because those Rupees were hard earned) and sprinted back to the arenas.

* * *

He found the swordsman dancing around his opponent, a man armoured only with chain mail. Whatever they tried to do, the swordsman was already moving to counter. It seemed he was on the defence, but in reality the swordsman was simply toying with their opponent. Still the man tried, again and again to break the swordsmans defence, stabbing and following with a fient before slashing at his left arm. However, the swordsman, growing bored of the game, simply stepped side on, effortlessly dodging the sword. Then, in a flash of black, the chain mailed man disarmed, knocked to the ground, and staring down the sabre of the black swordsman.

The crowd erupted in applause. Everyone screamed congratulations to the victor, who barely acknowledged the insufferable sound. The only one that remained silent was Link, not that anyone noticed. As the swordsman walked out of sight once more, it was evident that he had a variety of different blades hanging from his waist, with at least one rapier, a scimitar and a pair of sabres. His Armour was lean and angular, with each metal plate fused to chain mail underneath. Link frowned. Did the chain mail form a hat like his one? He was so stuck up on this fact, and somewhat insulted, that he couldn't focus on anything else before the swordsman disappeared from view.

 _Damnit._

Soon enough, there was only two champions left; the black swordsman and the woman with the claymore. She had heard of his reputation, and she had no intention of taking him lightly. She shifted her weight from her feet, her knuckles white on her blade.

The black swordsman, however, was holding his sabre loosely in his right hand, his body like a statue.

This final duel had a level of grandeur. The arena was set before the king and the princess, with a chest sealed with a gold hilted sword, the prize.

The king rose from his throne and the crowd silenced. He raised his arm, and with booming voice, addressed the combatants. "You have done well to get this far. Only one of you may claim the title of champion. I wish you both the best of luck." The swordswoman nodded in acknowledgement, but the black swordsman remained still. "Very well." He raised his arms, and when he dropped them, he announced "Begin!"

The black swordsman lunged forward, his sabre arcing downwards. The woman moved her claymore to block the attack, and the sabre bounced off the larger sword, but the swordsman continued to strike at her, beating his opponent to her knees. As he pulled back one last time, the swordswoman sprang up, ramming the flat of her claymore into the swordsmans chest, staggering him. She swung her blade at his free arm, but he ducked underneath, leaving her open. He struck her side, throwing her off balance, before jabbing at her in the ribs. The swordswoman lost ground, and the swordsman advanced. He attack her sides, alternating each strike. After a moment, the swords woman went to block, and the swordsman struck at the same side, only for his sword to be deflected away. The swordswoman had anticipated he was tricking her and took a gambit, which was shown to be the right move. She swung her claymore and hit him twice before he darted back out of her range. He straightened up and spread his arms, taunting her, beckoning her to strike.

The swordswoman circled around him, trying to assess her opponents strategy. He seemed only trying to bait her, or anger her into making a mistake, but she would not fall for such obvious traps.

Which is why she was surprised when he suddenly sprinting at her, about to slash at her. Quickly, she raised her sword to deflect his attack, which staggered him just long enough for her to drive her blade directly into his chest, sending him flying back. Before she could relish her success, He was on his feet, glaring through his mask. He moved quickly, closing the distance in moments. In surprise, the swordswoman swung her claymore without thinking, a swing that would take off the head off a less skilled warrior. Unfortunately, the black swordsman was very skilled. In one swift motion, he deflected the claymore and swung his sabre around and hit her with enough force to not only knock her to the ground, but also make her lose her grip on her sword, sending it flying across the arena. Before the swordswoman could every think about rising, not that she could do so easily, the black swordsman places his blade to her throat.

This all happened in under two minutes.

The crowd was silent for a moment, but only a moment. Screams, applause and hysterical noises filled Links ears. Link wasted no time with these ceremonial approvals. He moved as close as he could to the princess. He was afraid, terribly afraid of what the black swordsman was going to do. He needed to be ready for the worst. He needed to protect her. He cursed himself for not bringing his sword, or even his shield. _Lack of foresight will get you killed._

He slipped through the crowd easily, one advantage being younger, and found himself right on the barrier before the king had even risen from his throne. He assessed how he could get to Zelda, how they could get out of there, the best places to lose the swordsman if followed them, and how quickly he could get a weapon.

He had half formulated a plan when the swordsman approached the platform. Up this close, Link could get a clear look at the swordsman. Unlike earlier, he was wearing a simple purple cowl draped over his shoulders. Instead of a traditional helmet, he wore a two piece mask in the the image of a face with sharp feature, the first part attached to his face and the second attached to his lower jaw. Link wondered if that was what he really looked like. He had a ruby encrusted in the center of his forehead. Around his body he had chain mail fitted over him like a second skin, with individual plates attached to his chest, stomach, shoulders, upper arms and legs, in addition to sharp gauntlets and greaves. There was, of course, the hat. It wasn't detached from the rest of the chain mail, simply a continuation of it. Link wondered how it kept its form.

The swordsman kneeled before the king, who rose to meet him.

"You have risen above all other combatants. You have proven your skill, not only through your strength, but your mind. You have earned your right to the title of champion!" The crowd once again erupted in noise. The king waited until the masses had exhausted their voices. He indicated to the chest. "Claim your prize, the blade only the greatest may hold."

The swordsman nodded before approaching the sword. He extended his right hand and grasped the grip. For a moment, the sword resisted, before slowly slipping out of the chest. Once the sword was free, the swordsman turned to the masses and raised the blade over his head, and looked over the ecstatic crowd.

Then he locked eyes with Link.

Time seemed to slow. Link noticed the swordsmans eyes. They were the colour of rust, not red nor brown. Link felt there was something about them that was familiar.

They stood there, motionless for several seconds. Sound washed over them, but fell on deaf ears.

Link registered the swordsman was moving. He was waving the sword around. No, he was pulling it back.

Link realised that the swordsman was about to throw it. His body acted before his brain, moving out of the path the sword was going to follow. He fell to the ground, and dully noticed that the joyous sounds had turned to screams.

In a flash of light the sword pierced the ground that a few seconds ago Link stood. The scraping of metal on stone slammed into Link like a goron. He spun, eyes fixated on the black swordsman, who was charging at Link, his eyes radiating malice.

Link didn't realise what was happening. He wasn't aware of the sounds around him. He wasn't aware he was panicking. He just ran.

Ran from the being that was trying to kill him.

* * *

 **You wanted things to get more** **intense?! HERE YOU GO!**

 **Seriously though, all the previous chapters have been leading to this. Things are finally picking up speed now that** **the unnecessary** **baggage is gone. Hopefully the quality gets better along with the pacing.**

 **Ok, this is your second to last warning. From the next chapter onwards, sh^t goes down. People die, it gets bloody and I'll overly detailed. If you're under 16, get out now. I do not want to be responsible for permanent trauma or get stern yet scary emails from upset parents who you tricked. This is not a story for little kids or young teenagers. You have so much innocence left! Don't waste it! It's the best part of being that age.**

 **Ignore me and I'll send Tingle to haunt you. We all hate that guy.**

 **Kooloo-Limpah mother puncher.**


	12. Chapter 12 - First Cut

Link ran.

He didn't look back. He didn't need to. He could hear the screams. He knew that the swordsman was close behind him. He could hear the sound of bodies being thrown to the ground. He didn't know how many were lifeless.

He kept running.

He darted through the crowds, being squashed against fleeing people, almost falling to the ground multiple times. But he didn't. If he did, he would die.

He felt the people around him part, and without thinking, he spun and ran down a side street, barely dodging a sword thrown with terrifying accuracy. He sprinted down the empty street, praying that the swordsman had lost him, only to hear metal rapidly scrape against the cobblestone, the footsteps of the swordsman. Link, fuelled by fear alone, felt a burst of energy and rocketed down the street as fast as his legs would allow. Link couldn't outrun the swordsman, not even with all his armour, and without a crowd to lose him in, it dawned on Link that he was doing to die. The idea crept into his mind, and he faltered, stumbling. In as flash he was sent flying into a wall, struck by the black swordsman. Link tried to focus, but his vision was hazy, and he was sure his head was bleeding. Dimly, he noted that the swordsman was in front of him, drawing his sword.

 _Please,_ He begged wordlessly.

The swordsman held his blade over his head, ready to remove Links head, when someone struck them in the head. Link, still unsteady, stood up and tried to run, only to be steadied by a firm grip.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

Link blinked. He knew that voice. He felt a hand on his forehead, his hair mixed with blood, and his pain melted away, and his vision cleared to see familiar red eyes.

"Get out of here!" Nelo ordered. "Go to the castle! Impa will find you."

Link went to nod, but was distracted by the glare of the black swordsman. His armour wasn't even dented.

Nelo turned to face the swordsman. "Do as you're told!"

Link didn't respond, but followed her commands, charging down the street, wiping blood from his eyes.

The swordsman tried to follow, but Nelo stepping into his path. He tried again before brandishing his weapon. Nelo shook her head.

"Please don't make me do this."

The swordsman tilted his head, then lunged at her. Nelo stepped to avoid before driving him back with an open palm strike. Without hesitation, he swung his blade at her, trying to force her out of the way, each slash falling short of it's target. As she dodged this last attack, the swordsman grabbed Nelos right arm and prepared to run his blade her through. Before he could kill her, her hidden arm ripped out and blocked the attack with with a sheathed blade, the perfect length to be hidden behind her cowl. She twisted out of his grip and unsheathed the sword. It was a curved blade with a single cutting edge, a traditional sheikah eightfold blade. She held it in her right hand along with the sheath in her left.

Behind her cowl, Nelo scowled. "Fine. You forced me."

She attacked first, her blade singing as it flew through the air. The black swordsman was forced on the defensive, struggling to keep up with her onslaught. Whenever he managed to get a swing at her, she batted it away with her sheath. However, she was only stalling him. As strong as her onslaught was, he managed to stop each one from touching him, the closest strike coming centimetres from his armour. But that was enough. Every step back he took was a step away from an innocent boy.

The swordsman grew bold. The duel shifted, both of them fighting for ground. He would drive Nelo back a few steps, only for her to force him back in return.

The swordsman, seeing an opening, stabbed at the young sheikah, who left up to avoid the attack, landing on the blade and kicking the swordsman in the face before he could comprehend the impossibility that had just happened, sending him stumbling back. The only other response was a hiss escaping the mask. He surged forward and arced his blade at Nelo, the initial attack bouncing off the sheath, but he was already moving the blade at Nelo again, the blade humming. Nelo brought up her blade instinctively, too fast to act in better judgement. The blades collided, and a pulse of electricity shot into Nelos body, her arm spasming causing her to lose her sword and dazing her. In an instant, the swordsman threw her against a wall, the stones imprisoning her, before he bolted down the street, following Link.

Nelo needed to get free. Even hurt like this, she could still help. But she knew Link was in more danger then they had thought. She knew what the swordsman was.

A sorcerer.

* * *

Link hid behind a wall, catching his breath. He didn't know if Nelo could stop the swordsman, but he didn't want to wait around for the answer. She had told him to go to the castle, and that's what he had done. He was safer there.

 _But not unreachable._

He removed his hand from his forehead, which was sticky and covered in dried blood. He peeked around the corner, fearing he had left a train of blood. Thankfully, he could see no red droplets leading to him. He let out a sigh of relief.

Why was the swordsman so intent on killing him? Link couldn't think of any reliable ideas. The most realistic was that Ganondorfs allies had sent the swordsman to kill him for revealing his plan, though that was highly unlikely.

 _But is it impossible?_

Links train of thought was cut off when he saw the swordsman emerge from the town, heading in his direction. Link stifled a scream, spinning behind the wall once more. He didn't know if he had seen him, but Link could already hear a sword being drawn. He needed to hide.

He swept his gaze across the field, looking for somewhere to hide.

Thats when he saw someone becoming to him from within a small building, the armoury. It was close the castle gates, but there would be very little cover when getting to it. But it was his best option.

He took a deep breath, crouched low, and moved as quickly as he could. He scurried across the field, feeling small, exposed. He glanced over his shoulder, waiting for the swordsman to chase him down. But he didn't. It seemed that Link was safe. However, he only breathed easily when he heard the door shut behind him.

"Godesses bless your soul." Link gasped.

"We need to keep moving."

Link looked up. He saw his rescuer and grinned. "Viscen!"

"Not now," The captain murmured. "I'm sorry Link, this should never have happened." He grabbed Links arm and hurried him through the armoury. They had gotten close to the exit when the door creaked open. Viscen hid Link behind a row of cabinet of swords before drawing his own. He crept towards the door, moving slowly, alert to every sound. He saw the shadows move, and followed them. He stalked the shadows, until the melted away and led him to… a rack of swords. Viscen shook his head.

 _Nothing. Damn paranoia._

He sheathed his sword and hurrying back to his cowering student. "Hurry, we've wasted enough time."

Link crawled out from behind the cabinet. "What opened the door?"

"Don't know. Maybe I didn't lock it right, and the wind blew it open. Come on."

Viscen guided Link towards the exit.

"You'll be fine, Link. You'll be safe."

Thats when his head was cut off.

It wasn't clean. The blade itself was hardly ideal for such an action, but there was enough force behind the blade that forced it through the Captains flesh, tearing through tendons and bone, spraying blood on the walls. His body became a rag-doll, following the blade as he fell. His head simply hit the floor, the muscles still moving, still trying to breath.

He was dead before he had felt the pain.

The swordsman towered over Link, but the boy didn't care. There were flecks of warm blood on his face. Someone else's blood. He looked at the severed head. The face was motionless, but the muscles continued to contract, each spasm forcing out more blood to stain the ground.

Link saw a hole amongst the mangled flesh, the throat, now leaking blood out the mouth. He spotted something solid. The spine. He had heard about how the body worked, how each bone held the body together. But seeing it, surrounded by the meat of some who not ten seconds ago was alive and talking, was horrifying. He looked at the body, a lifeless doll, still pumping blood, spurting the red across the room.

Links legs gave way, falling to the ground, unable to think, his sight blurred by tears. His hand fell into the growing pool, and he felt bile rise in his throat. He shut down. He didn't know what to do. He looked up at the murderer, who was preparing to do the same thing to him, and stared. He wanted to run, he wanted to fight, he wanted to scream to the heavens above, but all he did was stare.

He should have died then. He would look back and think how he should have died. Everything was directing to his death. To escape would be impossible.

The sheikah embrace impossibility.

Impa appeared behind the swordsman, locking her arms around his neck and throwing him across the room. She shouted something to Link, who didn't understand her words, but listened to what she said, and stood up, dully fumbling at the door lock.

The swordsman rose from a pile of ruined weapons and lunged at Impa, who struck him in the chest an blinding speed, slamming him into the far wall before moving under a blind swipe and kicking him through the wall in one swift movement. He tried to regain his balance, but Impa was too fast, attacking with a needle between her fingers, each blow driving him back several steps. The swordsman found a moment where he could think, and turned his attention to where Link had kneeled. But Link was already gone, moving towards the castle.

Then Impa punched him.

"You attack a child?" She hissed through her teeth. "You deserve to burn for eternity."

The swordsman jumped to the side, grazing Impa's attack, and summoned orbs of black liquid around him. Light bubbled up inside them, before a stream of energy was released around Impa, caging her in, evaporating the liquid, before he fired a large steam from his free hand right at her.

A barrier of light appeared in front of Impa, absorbing and dispelling the energy. Nelo came up beside Impa. She was limping and had small cuts and bruises all over her body, but was still determined to fight.

"Is the princess safe?" She asked Impa.

"Yes."

That was all they said.

Nelo dropped the barrier and Impa threw her needles at the eye sockets, and the swordsman stepped to avoid them, but Nelo was on him, ramming him with the butt of her sword. He grabbed her, but in doing so left himself open to Impa, who slung a garrotte around his neck, forcing him to let go. Nelo hit the weak points of his armour with he sheathed sword. His body hummed, and Impa jerked away and release the garrotte, and he struck her with the back of his fist, sending her sprawling. Nelo brought down her sword once more, but the swordsman blocked her arm with his own, fracturing the bone. He head butted her as she cried out, knocking her unconscious. He turned around to Impa, only to see her standing tall, flanked by several other Sheikah. He was surrounded. Slowly, he sheathed his sabre.

Impa stepped forwards. "I am not as forgiving as the royals. They may want you questioned. I am not so lenient."

The swordsman tilted his head. A moment passed before he threw up his arm, and the Sheikah leapt to attack, but they hit nothing. The swordsman had disappeared.

Impa pursed her lips. She turned to a pair of nearby men. "Nelo needs to be healed, fast." They nodded and moved silently. Impa turned to the rest of them. "This is a crisis. I want the town defences in place. Get every capable knight and soldier at arms." She dismissed them, and moved to the castle. She needed to check on the princess and then meet with the king and his council. But first, she wanted to make sure Link was well. The poor boy had been through too much.

She prayed he was in good health.

* * *

 _ **Best known for**_

 _ **Blood and guts and gore**_

 _ **And a vicious reign of murdering and slaughter**_

 _ **O-oh!**_

 **Things are really picking up, wouldn't you say? Sorry it's not as good as my other chapters, I'm full of snot and have a scratchy** **throat and strange pressure in my right ear.**

 **I effing hate colds.**

 **Yeah, this was a bit excessive. Didn't need to go into all this detail. But I think it makes Links horror a wee bit more understandable when I talk about this stuff. Honestly I'm a bit concerned that writing and thinking this hasn't disconcerted me... at all. I don't think I'm screwed up. In that way, at least.**

 **It's going to get better, it's going to get worse.**

 **Stay for the fun, why don't ya?**


	13. Chapter 13 - Distant Echoes

When Link stumbled into the dormitory, everyone was cowering. Aram was hiding behind his bed, Oulson and Diddy underneath theirs. Eshie was hiding beside the door, a sword in her trembling hands, looking like she was going to cry. Link tried to say something, but the only noise he could make was a high pitched whine. Diddy was the first to respond.

"Link?" His voice quivered. "Oh goddesses, you're safe!"

Everyone surged forward, thankful that their friend was ok, but it took only a moment for them to realise something was wrong.

Link was deathly pale, his skin slick with sweat yet cool to the touch. They tried to talk to him, ask him if he was ok.

"I'm going to be sick." Link announced. He fell to the ground and threw up, emptying his stomach on the floor.

Aram and Oulson helped him to his feet, guiding him to his bed.

"It's ok Link."Aram reassured him. "You're fine."

He dry heaved. "No its not."

He sat down on his bed and was silent for a moment, and Diddy sat next to him, wrapping his arm around him. "What happened?"

Link tried to focus his thoughts. "The swordsman- the champion, he came at me. I-I-I don't know why. Just attacked me. Why? Why did he- what did I do?" Tears stung at his eyes. "He tried to kill me."

He could feel how afraid they felt. Eshie dropped her sword, the clatter echoing around the room, piercing the silence.

Aram cleared his throat. "Captain Vicsen went to look for you. Did you see him?"

Link remained silent, only reaching to specks of blood on his face.

"Link?" Aram pushed. "Did you see him?"

Slowly, Link nodded.

Diddy looked around. "Where is he?"

Still, Link remained silent.

Diddy grabbed links arms. "Link where is Vicsen?"

Link slowly turned his gaze to Diddy. Painstakingly, Link life his left hand and pointed to the flecks of blood on his face, his mouth twitching. "Here."

Link numbly noticed that everyone freaked out at that news. Someone was trying to calm themselves in the corner, others screaming and cursing and the last one was trying not to throw up. Link looked at the blood on hand, how the red liquid was smeared over his skin. He felt his hand become hot, with pins and needles crawling up his arm.

He was distracted by the sound of footsteps approaching the dormitory. Weakly, he grabbed his sword and stumbled towards the door. as it opened, Link swung his sword at the trespassers with a desperate shout.

Impa knocked the sword to the ground, responding before she even entered the room. She blinked, looking directly into her attackers eyes.

"Link?"

A moment passed before Link began to tear up. Impa guided him back to the bed and sat him down. A knight with a small goatee followed behind her, moving to the remaining children.

"Link, it's ok." Impa reassured him. "We drove him off. You're safe."

Link shook his head, pushing back tears. "He killed someone to get to me."

"Thats not your fault."

"How can you know that?" Link snapped back.

Impa stayed quiet. "A death is only on your hands when you make a decision that kills someone. Vicsen was protecting you. He made that decision."

Link said nothing. Impa placed hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Get yourself cleaned up. Get rid of the blood. You'll feel a weight lifted off."

"He escaped."

Impa sighed. "Yes. We didn't expect he could teleport. We don't know where he went, but I can't sense him nearby."

Link looked into her eyes. "He's going to try something again."

"Yes. We're taking action now. I'll have to go soon to help, to oversee the effort." She jerked her head to the knight behind her. "Captain Graves we take care of you."

"You will get him, right?"

Impa ruffled his hair. "Of course."

She stood up and, with a nod to the Captain, left for the council.

Once the captain successfully calmed down everyone, he moved to check on Link. He sat next to the young boy and smiled. He was young, and his face seemed formed into a permanent warm smile. He waited until Link smiled before he offered his hand.

"Hey there, I'm Graves."

"Link."

He pointed to the other children. "You've got some good friends. They're worried about you."

"I'm fine, really."

Graves tilted his head. "Really?"

"Really."

"Hey its fine if you're not. You've gone through some awful stuff."

"Please, I'm fine."

He held up his hands in defeat. "Uh, if you say so. If you feel you need to get something out, just scream into a pillow." Link raised an eyebrow. "Or just scream. Same effect."

Link rubbed his eyes. "Thank you captain."

Graves gave him a thumbs up. "Don't worry about it."

* * *

Impa melded from the shadows and rounded the corner to the council room, ignoring the ringing in her ears. It had been hours since the Swordsman had attacked, and with all precautions having been personally overseen, it was time to join the King's council.

Two sheikah were stationed guarding the door, master and student, a young man and one close to Impas age with a sheikah eye tattooed on his forehead. The young man wore a Mask of Truth, hiding his face but not his ginger hair. An rare trait in sheikah, but not unheard of. He seemed unfocused, perhaps dazed. They parted to let her though, and she nodded a thanks before entering.

The council was turmoil. Arguments and insults were thrown across the room, with the King trying to bring order to his advisors. The old sheikah tried to calm things himself, though no one payed him any attention. Silence only fell once Impa drove her fist into the table, splintering the wood. She calmly removed her fist from the wood and examined her hand for injuries, and when she found none, she turned her gaze to the advisors.

The king sighed. "Thank you, Impa, but I doubt that was necessary."

Impa tilted her head. "Words were failing, so actions were needed."

The king went to say something, then decided against it and simply pinched the bridge his nose. "Perhaps."

A pudgy advisor cleared his throat. "What happened to the swordsman?"

Impa crossed her arms. "He escaped."

A big eared man scowled. "You should have brought more sheikah."

"That's _exactly_ what we did before he disappeared." She said crisply.

The King sat forward. "Explain."

Impa stood up straighter. "This is everything we know about the assailant." She made sure she had the attention of everyone before she continued. "He is a highly skilled swordsman, as we should all know, and seems to be well versed in our tactics, or at least able to counter them. He enhances his swordsmanship with sorcery."

Roran waved his hand as if to disperse bad thoughts. "But how did he escape?"

"He teleported."

Saife swore. "Are you telling us we're dealing with an Interloper?"

"No." Impa chided. "The teleportation was completely different. Instantaneous. Nothing like the sheikah technique. His magic was too unconventional ever for an Interloper."

The King locked eyes with Impa. "Then what are we dealing with?"

Impa was silent for what seemed like ages before she slowly said. "I don't know."

The room went quiet. The sheikah had the firmest grasp on the history of hurtle, and Impas words sent a chill down their spines.

The silence was broken when the young sheikah spoke. "Do they still pose a threat?"

"Yes." Impa confirmed. "They were powerful, and I doubt we saw the full extent of his abilities."

"And right now?"

"He should pose little threat."

The King frowned. "Should?"

Impa thought for a moment, choosing her words carefully before she spoke. "I can feel… something. A presence of sorts."

Saife scoffed. "You _feel_ threatened?"

"I feel a presence. I cannot be sure if it is dark or not, but it's… building."

The king narrowed his eyes. "How so?"

"Sheikah are sensitive to magics. We are able to sense an invisible warrior without knowing where they are or how close they are. This _feeling_ , this ringing in my ears, I can feel it growing." She looked to the old sheikah. "I know I'm not the only one that feels it."

The king turned to his attendant, who slowly nodded. "I feel it too. Not as a ringing in my ears, but my hair is on ends."

Impa turned to the young sheikah and wait for a response. She shifted uncomfortably. "I've had a small headache, but I thought it was nothing."

Impa dressed the king. "I've already had men stationed at the town and castle walls. I've ordered every able knight and solider to be prepared."

"What about our allies? The Zora and the Gorons?"

Leon shook his head. "Forget about them. We have defiantly got to focus on only us."

"That would jeopardise our relationships." The old sheikah snarled.

"Hey, I'll ask you this then, Huh? Who would we send anyway, huh? We already have all our guys protecting us!"

Once more arguments broke out, with the king confiding in his attendant while the advisors tried to come up with how they would contact the other society or if they should even try. Impa took a step back and closed her eyes, shutting out the noise, focusing.

* * *

Nelo opened her eyes and frowned. She was staring at a roof, which meant she was lying down. But she didn't used beds, or even have one in the castle. she rolled over to try and get up and was greeted by agonising pain, causing her to collapse back onto the bed. She looked around the room. It was filled withdrew herbs, mosses and fungi in jars, mortar and pestles on shelves, and various other complex equipment. The infirmary, she released.

Hearing the commotion, a doctor came over to help her up. "Easy, now." The doctor said softly. "Your left arm is broken, and you might have a concussion."

Nelo cradled her head with her good hand and looked at her left arm. It was in a splint, with bandages holding it together in a sling around her neck. Underneath, she could feel a wet, ground up substance pressed against the main wound. As the doctor brought over a red potion, she tried to close her hand, succeeding only in driving white hot pain up her arm. The doctor handed her the potion and she drank it in one swig, gagging at the unbearably sweet taste. Once she had finished, the doctor handed her a couple of leaves and instructed her to chew them to numb the pain. Wanting to cleanse her pallet, Nelo lady obliged.

She took deep breaths, trying to recall what had happened last. She remembered the that it was the day of the Masters Tournament, and that there was a woman with a claymore that had reached the finals. She hoped the woman would win but she was against-

Nelo shot up, almost losing her balance. She remembered the swordsman. She didn't quite remember the fight, but she was sure that he was the reason she was here.

Ignoring the doctors orders, she grabbed her sword, slipped on her cowl and stumbled towards the council chamber. With someone that dangerous around, it would certainly be a cause for alarm.

She felt uncomfortable, holding her sword in her right hand. For one thing, it was in plain view of anyone she passed, negating the surprise of her surprise weapon. For another thing, she had no way of actually drawing the damn thing without something to pull on the scabbard. Ultimately she decided that it wasn't the time for such trivial discomforts and decided to endure the glares and stares on the way to the council room.

Once she arrived, she tried to get though, but was denied by the guards. She glared at the older sheikah, challenging his authority. He glared right back, refusing to let her enter.

"Let me though." She growled.

"Why should I do that?" He retorted, his voice rising.

Nelo let her irritation show on her face and in her voice. "I'm the kings attendant."

The man stepped up to her and leaned down to meet her eyes. "And why does that matter?"

"I must be at his side at all times."

"Why? He has the old leader in there. Who don't think he can protect the king?"

The young man cleared his throat, echoing in his mask. "Master…" But he was silenced with a look.

Nelo refused to step away. "It doesn't matter what I think. It's my duty."

"And how did you get that duty?"

Nelo was quiet.

The young man tried to appeal to the man again, but was cut short. "Master, please-"

"Quite! I'm talking."

Nelo stayed silent. Angered, the man spat on her face, making Nelo recoiled in shock, making the man grin savagely. Before Nelo could act rashly, the young man grabbed her wrist and pulled her away. "Enough!" He shouted, startling everyone.

A moment passed before the man began to seethe. "You _dare_ defy you _master_?"

The young man shook his head. "I don't dare, Wen."

"Don't use my name!" He snapped. "You are not-"

"I am not your student." He interjected. "So you can't command me."

The man was too shocked to speak, to the young man quickly pushed Nelo into the Council room and with a small "Sorry" shut the door quickly behind her and interrupting Impa. Everyone looked at her as she entered, and she was thankful that her cowl hid most of her blushing face as she moved to the Kings side, who smiled as she approached. "It is good to see you well Nelo." Nelo nodded her thanks.

Impa continued. "It is possible that we could send sheikah to our allies. Quick, efficient."

The sheikah woman shook her head. "The sheikah aren't well trusted."

"It's the best option we have." Roran rebuffed. "We need to alert them as soon as possible."

The King shook his head. "It wont matter if they see our words as falsehoods."

Dumi stood up. "Surely we can spare a couple of soldiers."

Darton, the head of the kings Royal Guard, a quite bear of a man, grunted. "At most, only half of our Knights have horses. We'd be lucky to find a solider with a mule."

The king was quite for a moment before having a quick convocation with his advisor. Nelo overhead the whole thing, and completely failed to hide her shock at what was being said. Nevertheless, the said nothing.

The king returned his gave to Impa and the other sheikah. "The presence… how fast is it growing?"

Impa, suspicious, spoke slowly and clearly. "Slowly… I don't think has grown worse since the start of this discussion, though it could change at any moment."

The sheikah woman nodded. "If Impa can't feel a change, I shouldn't be able to."

The King sighed deeply and hid his hands in his face. "How many…" He asked softly, refusing to move. "How many of the children have horses?"

"No!" Impa barked before she could stop herself. "Forgive me, your highness, but this is exactly what we said we would not do!"

He peeked through his fingers. "You said that the presence is growing so slowly that you could not feel a change." He said flatly.

"What if I'm wrong? You'd be sending those children to their deaths!"

The king said nothing. Impa covered her face and regained her composure. After a moment, she crossed her arms and masked her emotions.

The King let his hands slip from his face. "We have sheikah stationed around the kingdom, yes?"

Impa nodded. "Yes your highness."

"If they find any change what so ever, they are to collect the children and return here immediately, understand? Even if they are about to enter our allies domain, they will be returned, and they shall be taken to Kakariko in order to ensure they return long before nightfall." He turned to his scribe. "We need four official letters. Don't make them long, don't stress on formalities, just get them to me. One for the Gorons, those in Kakariko, Lon Lon Ranch and for the Zora." Once the scribe scurried off, he stood up. "Someone, get those children ready. They leave as soon as they get those letters. Everyone else, to you stations if you have any. If not, get somewhere safe."

With that, the council dispersed leaving only the King and his attendants to their thoughts.

* * *

 **Hey there! Sorry I took so long with this one. I've had nothing on my plate so no real excuse, but I hope it was worth the wait.**

 **Did some research on this one. Shock, concussions, medical stuff. Also looking up horses. I'm thinking Diddy has a horse comparable to a Rocky Mountain Horse, Eishe has one comparable to a Mongolian horse, Epona is sort of half Arabian (or Gerudo in this case) and just a racing horse. The other two? Ehh, just standard horses (not sure if thats what they're actually called but eeeehhhhh who cares right now).**

 **Also, lots of little details in this chapter. Hehe, you'll have to wait to see where this goes.**

 **Or not. You don't have to. It'd be nice though.**

 **Feel free to tell me what you think of the story. Too slow, suddenly too fast, too silly, too dumb, too good, anything is helpful.**

 **Thanks for reading, I'll try to be faster next time.**


	14. Chapter 14 - Selfish

Graves nodded, dismissing the messenger. The news was troubling. Sending the children out would be dangerous at the best of time, but even after calming them down, he felt one wrong move could send them spiralling out of control. But if the King commanded it, then it shall be done.

He took moment to compose himself, putting a smile on his face, before facing the children. He march forwards, feigning confidence.

"Alright then, I've got news for all of you, so gather up!"

They shuffled into a circle around him, devoid of any real incentive. Once they all stood around him, Graves kneeled down and grinned. "First things first! The sheikah drove off that son of a-" He caught himself, screwing up his mouth. "anyway, they feel that he might try something again. They think that it will take some time for it to get ready, so in the mean time, the King wants to warn our allies that he might try something again."

Eshie frowned. "What does this have to do with us?"

Graves opened his mouth but failed to say anything. He looked to the ground, shaking his head. "Ah geez." He rose to meet her eyes. "With all the knights and soldiers mobilised to protect the town and castle, we're a _bit_ short on messengers." He scratched the back of his head. "And… you… all have horses."

The reality dawned on them simultaneously. Aram started to hyperventilate, and Oulson tried to comfort him.

Graves tried to calm them. "Remember, we're sure that he far away and whatever he's planning will take a long, long, long time. I swear upon the golden goddesses, you are safe. You will be taken most of the distance by a sheikah and returned by said sheikah when you are done or the moment"

Much to his relief, they calmed down, or at least focused enough to listen, or just silent. That was good enough.

"We're gonna need to to get these messages to the Gorons, Kakariko Village, Lon Lon Ranch and the Zoras." He looked at them. "That means one for each of you."

Diddy cleared his throat. "Uh, Captain, there's five of us."

Graves shook his head. "Yeah, but Link is staying here."

"What?!" Link barked. "Captain, I'm just as capable as any of them!"

"I don't doubt that Link, but you've been through a lot today. You've seen a man die. You need time to recuperate."

"Graves, all due respect, I'm used to horrible experiences."

Graves frowned. "Thats hardly a convincing argument."

Link scowled. "I'm fine. The trauma's over."

"So you think." Graves retorted firmly. "Take it from someone who lived through the last war. People think they're fine, and then crumble at the worst times."

Links hand waved to his side. "Look at Aram. He is in no condition to ride a horse!"

It was true. In the span of the conversation, the poor boy had lost all colour in his face, and he was wobbling, barely able to keep himself upright.

Link looked back to Graves, whose jaw was set firm. "I stand by my decision Link. Someone will just have to take the letters to both Kakariko and the Gorons." He stood up. "Everyone, get to your horses. The kings letters will be here soon, so decide who is taking two and head off." He pointed at Link. "Stay. For the love of all things good, just, _stay_." And with that everyone exited, with Graves leading Aram to the infirmary, leaving Link alone.

Link flopped onto the bed. He didn't know why he was so insistent on leaving. Was it to prove he was fine? Or because he was doing nothing when he could be helping? He held his hand in front of his face, and was disheartened when it continued to tremble. He sighed. Would anyone really need his help? Kakariko was the home of the sheikah, so they would be safe if the moon itself fell. The Gorons would probably relish the opportunity to fight something. The Zora… maybe. He didn't know the extent of their defences, but they didn't seem the sort that would go quietly. As for the Ranch-

Link sat bolt upright. They could be in danger. Malon could be in danger. Link cursed under his breath. If any of those groups would be in danger, it would be Lon Lon Ranch. He needed to warn them.

 _Stay._

Link punched the mattress. He couldn't disobey Captain Graves, not directly. He was going, regardless of the consequences. Leaving with Epona without anyone stopping him was going to be hard, very hard. The other kids wouldn't defy Hargrave. He was going to have to trick them. Not too hard, but it would hurt their trust. But he didn't care. Malon was his closest friend second only to Saria.

 _Wait- Saria?_

Link's blood went cold. The Kokiri were hidden in the Lost Woods. They had no one out side the forest that knew about them.

No one that could warn them.

Except Link.

He couldn't do both.

Link slipped to the floor, holding his head in his hands, and fought against the urge to sob.

 _Selfish, Selfish, Selfish._

He knew that the Kokiri were in more danger, but he could bring himself to abandon the ranch. Malon, Talon, even Ingo, had treated him as a friend, as an equal. Three people that had done more for him them most of the forest had in his entire childhood.

But forest was big. The Kokiri were numerous, far beyond that of a simple ranch. He should prioritise more people over those that treated him better. Regardless of time or age, he was still the Hero of Time. He needed act as a hero, putting aside his own desires.

 _Selfish._

Link stood up and blinked the tears out of his eyes, shaking the intrusive thoughts from his head. He needed to think.

He could take the message to the Gorons and take the tunnels through the mountains and get to the Lost Woods relatively quickly. He'd be able to warn them and the Great Deku Tree could protect the forest. But that would mean someone else would have to get word to Lon Lon Ranch. Link knew that Epona was the best horse out of the all the others. They would get there in time if something went wrong.

On the other hand, if he warned Malon, they could all get to safety. No doubts, everyone there would be safe, but at the expense of the Kokiri. They would have no idea a threat was building, but the Great Deku Tree would be able to protect them.

Wouldn't he?

Link slung his sword around his back, strapped his shield to the scabbard and grabbed his bow and full quiver before walking to the door. He needed to make a decision, but that wouldn't matter if he couldn't get out.

But it didn't clear his conscience.

* * *

Diddy saw him coming, but pretended to be occupied, not wanting to be caught up in a fiasco. It became more difficult when Link got Epona out of the stable and looked at him, causing him to sweat. Oulson and Eshie were nearby, but they were occupied. He just hoped that they would help him if Link came up to him.

"What letter have you got?"

 _Dangit_.

He glanced at Link. "The Captain told to to stay."

Link tightened his saddle around Epona. "He's letting me join."

"No he didn't."

Link shrugged. "Doesn't matter." He tightened a strap around his bow and quiver. "Where are you headed?"

Diddy sighed. "The ranch. Jackass and I will deliver the letter and head straight back. No sheikah delivery for me."

Link nodded. "Whose taking two?"

"Eshie."

Link looked at her. She was bound to leave any second now, and she only just noticed Link. He nodded to her. "Diddy, I have a favour to ask." He walked to Eshie before Diddy could respond. After a minute or so of talking and arguing with her, Link returned with a letter in hand, his face hidden.

Diddy cleared his throat. "The favour… what is it? Why did you walk off? Maybe you should just stay."

Link looked up, and Diddy could see pain, real pain, in Links eyes. "Diddy, I need you just… do as I ask."

"What?"

A moment of silence.

"Take this." He held up the letter. "This is for the Gorons. Warn them. Just… give me your letter."

Diddy frowned. "Why?"

"Jackass is better in the mountains. He'll get you to the Gorons faster then any of our horses could. Epona will get me to the Ranch faster then you could."

Diddy made a face. "Chill. This isn't life or death, Link. If I let you do this, I'm gonna get in more trouble then you. Graves will punish us for no reason other then you being paranoid about your girl friend!"

Links head shot up. "She's-" He stopped himself. "It's the best option."

Diddy, paused for a second before pulling out his letter and swapping it with Links, who gave a soft "Thank you" before hopping on Epona and riding off, leaving Diddy with a confused Eshie to explain to.

It made sense. The Great Deku Tree was the guardian of the forest. He could, no, _would_ protect the Kokiri from harm. As long as he was alive, they would be safe. The ranch didn't have that protection.

It made sense.

 _Selfish._

As Link rode through the streets, he wiped tears from his eyes. He needed to be serious. The decision was hard, but he needed to stick with it.

They would be protected.

He turned his focus to the task at hand. Pushing Epona would get him to the Ranch in a relatively short amount of time. He could make it.

He could help them.

 _Selfish._

* * *

 **Hey guys. Sorry this took so long.**

 **I forgot to write it.**

 **Anyway, I have some annoyances with previous chapters. Like, the second one.**

 **You know when I said that it took 2 days to get to the castle town?**

 **Ha! I hope not! That was dumb.**

 **Anyway, Hargrave {EDIT - Renamed Graves} isn't that bad of an adult. His only mistake was leaving Link alone. Other then that, good job Hargrave.**

 **Soooooooo**

 **I don't know when the next chapter will be up. Still haven't decided on that thing that is annoying me.**

 **Feel free to tell me what you think of this. Please. I want to know what you think. I don't know why you're reading this or if you even like it. Criticise me or something. Just give me feedback.**

 **Thanks. Have a good day**


	15. Chapter 15 - Sworn Aid

A hot wind blew over the Ranch. Malon looked up, pulling the hair from her eyes. Dark clouds were forming to the south. They didn't look too heavy, so it probably didn't mean rain. Probably.

Ingo strolled over, scowling. "No, no, take your time. Not like thats our livelihood you're not carrying."

"Sorry Ingo." She muttered, picking up the crate of milk, fumbling.

Sighing, Ingo took the crate from her. "Go get another one. Lighter this time."

Malon smiled and headed back to the barn.

Satisfied, Ingo started moving towards the house when he noticed the sky. Odd, that the weather would turn so suddenly. He shrugged. How was he supposed to know how the clouds worked, and why should he care? They're clouds, what are they going to do, rain on him? Make it more annoying to work?

On second thought, maybe he would care. He picked up the pace.

* * *

"What was wrong with Link?"

Diddy puffed out his cheeks. "I have no idea."

He and Eshie were standing beside their horses, waiting for their sheikah to arrive and take them most of the distance. They were growing restless, with Diddy pacing around, though they stuck close enough to talk.

"He seemed so… upset." He shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, theres his farm friend that he probably is worried about, but why would me be so sad about it?" He glanced at Eshie. "What he say to you?"

"He told me to give him the gorons letter. I told him, 'No, Graves told you to stay.' He got a bit angry and told me he needed it. Eventually I gave up and gave him the Kakariko one," She said gesturing to her letter "but he told me he needed the other one. I tried to find out why, but he seemed too… distracted to answer." She tilted her head. "Come to think of it, he seemed torn up when he was going back to you."

Diddy shook his head. "Link's had a nasty day." He grimaced. "We probably should have listened to the Captain."

Eshie shrugged. "Too late now. Honestly, if Link can get his girlfriend from the Ranch all fine, then Graves doesn't need to know we let Link boss us around."

"Hopefully." He nodded ahead of them. "I think our rides are here. You know where to go?"

"No. Could you-"

"Sorry, but I want to get back as soon as I can."

Eshie scowled. "So do I!"

Diddy got on Jackass and rode over to his sheikah. "Sorry- I'm sorry but I am very selfish at times like this!" And with that he was gone, leaving Eshie behind as the other sheikah approached. She stood straight as the sheikah approached and prepared for teleportation, flinching and the darkness consumed her and spat her back out in Kakariko Village. She nodded her thanks to the sheikah, who gave a small wave, and moved out.

Eshie strolled up to the centre of the town and took the letter in hand and began looking for someone to help her.

"Excuse me," She said to a tired young man under a tree. "could you help me find the person in charge of this town?"

He shrugged. "The person that's head of this place, as you put it, is up in the castle looking after royalty."

Eshie's face remained blank. "Then someone _in_ the town that _has_ some authority?"

The man frowned for a moment before jerking his head behind him, where a group of men were building a house. She nodded her thanks before moving over.

"Bah! Hurry up! You all had your holiday yesterday! Tournaments over, you can hear who won when you're at the table with your wives!" Barked a bald man with a fierce white moustache. The other men were working at an astounding rate, he couldn't deny that. As the man that had trained them, he couldn't be prouder. But why did they have to be so damn irritating? Prancing around when they went to get another sack of bricks, singing louder then the cuccos. They were almost as bad as his son in that regard.

"Excuse me?" He heard a voice behind him. He turned to find a young girl looking up at him.

"Well? What is it?" He snapped. "I don't have time to be interrupted!"

Eshie looked down and rubbed the back of her neck. "Are you someone with a fair amount of authority in the town?"

He puffed out his chest. "Well, I'm in charge of turning this town into a city! The only person above me in this town is Lady Impa herself!"

She held out the letter. "Then you need to read this."

He snatched the piece of paper from her hand and quickly read over it. Slowly, his harsh features became a bit softer. "Are you sure? This isn't some prank?"

She shook her head. "If that's not the kings stamp, then you can throw my butt out of town."

Indeed, sealed in wax, the Wing Crest of Hyrule sat proud next to the Kings name. This was offical.

Then Hyrule really _was_ at risk.

He looked behind him to his workers. "Oi! Get over here, you layabouts!"

They look confused as they walked up to him. He wasn't one to change his directions so suddenly. Were they in trouble?

The boss crossed his arms. "Right. We've got news from the King himself here, so listen up! A murderous sorcerer tried something at the Tournament, and it took a dozen Sheikah to make him turn tail and run." He swept his gaze over them. "Take note; he got away. Now there's the threat of him coming around and try his luck again." He pointed to each of them. "You have a job to do. Everyone but Shiro, warn the town. Jiro, once thats done, help setting up defences. Ichiro, the wall. Sabooro, get everyone that can fight." He nodded. "Get to it." They all moved, leaving the boss, Eshie and the one called Shiro.

Shiro held up his hand. "What do you want me to do boss?"

The boss nodded to Eshie. "I want you to escort the lass home. Back to Castle town if you have to. If you do go there, stay. It'll be too risky riding back here, and you'll be safe there."

Shiro gave him a thumbs up before looking to Eshie, and she smiled.

 _Take that Diddy._

* * *

Link rode furiously.

He had to constantly remind himself that if he pushed Epona any further, he would hurt her. He had too keep her in the small area between keeping her moving fast and making sure he wasn't putting his selfishness above her wellbeing. She was the constant in his life. Past, future, Hyrule, Termina, she was always there with him. He couldn't live with himself if he cause something to happen to her.

But he needed to get to the ranch. Malon could be in danger.

He rubbed the back of his sword hand. It was throbbing again. He scowled, bringing his free hand back to the reins. If he fell of at this speed, he could crack his ribs or fracture his arms. Scowling, he steadied himself. "Come on Epona," He whispered into the horses ear. "We've got to save Malon." He frowned. Save? That's a bit pessimistic.

 _Im just warning them, helping them get to safety. Right?_

He didn't like that feeling, that something was going to go wrong. In his experience, it usually did.

Link forged on.

* * *

"Easy, easy." Diddy muttered.

He was making his way up Death Mountain, had raced past a group of Tektites, and was scattering stones along the slope with each step. Link had been right, Jackass was far better in this terrain then any of the other horses would have slid halfway down the mountain this point, but Jackass kept his footing.

Diddy looked ahead. The mountain was certainly living up to it's name, with loose ground, a halo of smoke at peak, and as far as he could tell, the only plant that could grow on this daunting rock was explosive.

Maybe this was why Link wanted to go to the ranch.

As Jackass surged forward, he wondered how any society could live here. The Gorons must be tough as hell. He'd heard the they eat rocks, nothing else. Then they're like plants? But no plants could survive here. Diddy shook his head. At least the Zora made sense. Fish people that eat what fish eat. Fish.

After a almost half an hour, Diddy found himself at the entrance to Goron City. Or so the sign said. It just looked like a cave to him.

He climbed off Jackass and wiped the sweat from his brow. At this temperature, he was thankful he wasn't wearing his uniform, and for his sheikah transport. Otherwise he'd surely burst into flames. Probably.

He tied Jackass up, grabbed the letter and moved towards the cave. There was a funny looking boulder by the entrance. It seemed to be made up of rougher stuff at the top and a more sandstone like substance everywhere else. He frowned. Odd, it looks a bit like skin.

The boulder sat up, and Diddy screamed.

The Goron winced at the sudden sound. "Ow! Please, I didn't mean to scare you."

Diddy's scream slowly died down. He stared at the Goron, taking in this first experience. It was somewhat underwhelming.

It had a dopy round face, with the big, round eyes that were just a _little_ too far apart. And the smile, from what would go ear to ear, if it had ears, seemed carved into it's face. It body was ape-like, with long, muscled arms, and short and stubby legs. And the stomach… well, it was certainly large enough to hold a few rocks.

The goron waved his hand. "Uh, are you ok? Is this normal for Hylians?"

Diddy blinked. "Ah, no, Sorry, I- I was just- You gave me a fright, that's all."

The goron nodded. "Ok. Sorry, I'll talk before I get up next time."

Diddy stared at it for a moment longer. This was not what he imagined at all when he had thought of a society of rock eating people that farmed bombs and lived on a volcano. He shook his head. "Um, could you please take be to the… Goron in charge? I have a message from the king?"

The goron tilted its head. "A message for Big Brother? Oh, I'll take you to him. Follow me." He led the young boy into the city, which was, yes, a small city carved into the mountain. The goron waddled down the stairs, leading him to the bottom level. It was extravagant compared to every other hole in the wall, because this one had a carpet.

"Big Brother!" The Goron called into the room. "The King has a message for you! A little Hylian want to talk to you!"

A growl echoed from within the chamber. "A message from my sworn brother? Let's hear it then."

The Goron the walked out was more fitting with Diddy's imagination. His face was carved with harsh features, forming a seemingly permanent scowl. Around his head was a brilliant mane-like beard of hair or horns. Around his rippling limbs were bands of iron. _This_ Goron was intimidating.

Darunia narrowed his eyes at Diddy. "This is the Hylian?" He asked other goron, who nodded. "Hmm. Never seen him before." He shrugged. "So, what is the message?"

Diddy held out the letter to Darunia, who took it. Only he didn't open it. He just kept staring at Diddy.

 _Do Gorons blink?_ He hoped so.

"What's the message?" Darunia asked again.

Diddy pointed at the letter. "It's… in there."

The Goron scowled. "Just tell me and save me the time."

"But the King-"

"If it's so important, why waste time with reading it?"

Diddy paused, realising that there was no point in arguing. "Ok. This swordsman attacked us at the tournament not too long ago, and he got away. The King thinks that he could do something dangerous and… wanted to warn you, I guess."

Darunia grunted. "I see. You must thank our brother."

Diddy laugh nervously. "Yeah, I don't think I just just thank the King." But Darunia had already turned to the other goron.

"I hope we get some fight up here. It's gotten boring, right brother?"

The goron grinned. "Right, Big Brother!"

Diddy pointed to the stairs. "I'll just… leave." He turned away. " _Thanks Link._ " He muttered.

Suddenly his head was in the hand of a goron, and then face to face with Darunia.

"Did you say Link?" He grunted.

Diddy managed to squeak out a "Yes."

"Short?" Darunia persisted. "Gold hair? Green?"

Once again, Diddy squeaked "Yes."

Darunias face lit up. "Haha! You know our brother!"

Diddy blinked. "What?"

Darunia set Diddy down and patted his head. "He helped us when Dodongo's Cavern became infested. Helped us reclaim our food! Saved all Gorons on Death Mountain."

Diddy frowned. "Link? But he's so… short and quite and- and- and short!"

Darunia cackled. "He _is_ short, but he is our sworn brother." He leered at Diddy. "How do you know our brother?"

"He's my friend. We're in the same knight training programs."

"So you're his brother?"

"Well, I wouldn't go _that_ far."

Darunia laughed. "The brother of our brother is also our brother."

"What?"

Darunia smacked him in the head in what should have been a sign of affection, but wasn't, because it was done with arms that could crush rocks.

"What is your name, brother?"

Diddy rubbed he head. "I'm Diddy."

"Diddy, tell our brother all his brothers in Goron City wish him well."

Diddy smiled weakly. "Ok… I'll do that."

As he mounted his horse, Diddy couldn't help looking back onto the city. _Link has more to him then I give him credit for. Brother to all gorons._ He grinned. They weren't too bad. Maybe Link wasn't so annoying.

Head still hurt though.

* * *

"Is everything ok now?" Zelda asked. She was sitting on her bed, alone if not for her sheikah guardian.

Impa turn to the princess and smiled. "Of course princess. The swordsman has disappeared."

"But he's doing something, isn't he?" She looked out the window. "I heard the knights talking."

Impa sighed. "Yes. But you're safe here. So is your father."

"What about Link?"

Despite the situation, Impa cracked a smile. "He's safe. I had the captain in charge of protecting them order he stayed."

"Promise?"

"Would I lie to you Zelda?"

The princess pouted. "You're a master of espionage. It's part of your job."

Impa raised an eyebrow. "You're not wrong, but you know that's not what I meant."

Zelda giggled. "I'm just teasing you."

Impa shook her head. "It's good to see your sense of humour triumphs over fear."

The was a knock at the door. Impa look at Zelda, silently telling her to stay sitting. She walked to the door and opened it to see Nelo standing before her, bruised and grim faced.

"Zelda," Impa called back to the room. "This will take just a moment. These knights will protect you."

Zelda smiled. "See you soon Impa." And with that, Impa left her in the capable hands of the knights.

"What is it?" She asked Nelo.

"Our scout from Lake Hylia has returned."

Impa turned to her. "A sighting?"

Nelo shook her head. "Worse. He's amassing an army."

Impa missed a step. "Please repeat that last sentence."

Nelo shot her a glance. "He's summoning an army of monsters. Rapidly."

"How have we missed this?"

Nelo shook her head. "We don't know. Somehow, he's hiding it from us. Maybe he's far stronger than we thought. He's amassed hundreds, maybe thousands, in a few hours. The only reason we know about this is because it was seen."

Impa nodded. "Very well. I want the children brought back immediately. Get their escorts moving. I don't care if they're standing in front of the King, get them and get them back."

"Of course."

Nelo surged forward. "Get back to the princess. I'll take care of this."

Impa smiled. "Thank you, Nelo. Heal quickly."

The two sheikah nodded to each other before Impa turned back. An army? She hoped this wasn't the beginning of another war. Too soon since the last one. She hoped the children got back safely.

When she reentered the room, Zelda beamed at her.

"That was fast. Everything fine?"

Impa faked a smile. "Yes Zelda. Everything is fine."

* * *

 **Hey there! Another long chapter! Do you love me again?**

 **Anyway, I was very happy with the last chapter. Mostly because I got questions! Yay! It makes me feel happy. Anyway, I'm going to answer them now, so if you have more questions, feel free to ask.**

 **Ok, so "Guest" asked about the Great Deku Tree being dead. While that was the case, its not the case in** _this_ **timeline. Here, he returned before Ganondorf made his way to the Kokiri Forest, but not before he blocked off Dodongo Cavern and infected (or whatever) Jabu Jabu.**

 **Next, "Nintendoborn" asked how old Link is. This was harder. So, in Ocarina of Time he's said to be 10, but someone (Eiji Aonuma?) Said he was 9, but more things say he was 10, So I'll say he was 10 in OoT. Since he came back earlier then that game starts, he's like a month or so younger when he comes back. Then Majora's mask takes place happens a few months latter, and this is months after Majora's Mask, so I'd say in this Fic, he's 11. However, after multiple time travels, both being that with being in the future, which was probably months because he's not as good as we are and time is hard, and after god knows how many resets in Majora's mask (I'm adding in resets when he just sleeps cause he's just a little kid he needs his sleep and it doesn't reset health or magic so why would it reset tiredness?) so he's been aware for 12 years.**

 **To answer the question, he is physically 11 years old and 12 mental years old.**

 **Thanks for reading, stay awesome.**


	16. Chapter 16 - Dusk

Oulson stood before the waterfall, utterly baffled.

He knew this was the entrance to Zora's Domain. The stone tablet with the Goddesses Symbol gave that away. The only problem was the torrent of ice cold water overing the entrance. That was a big, wet problem.

He spun around, looking for some other entrance, with no success. Had he missed it? would he have to go back to his horse? Why did get the wet one?

"What are you-"

Oulson jumped back, almost falling into the river bellow. "Farore above!"

A Zora had appeared at the top of the waterfall, perched on a small outcrop shielding them from the full force of the current. "What's a Hylian doing here? This is Zora territory."

Oulson clutched his heart, struggling to put together words. It had been a stressful day.

The Zora pointed its nose skyward. "Answer yourself or go away."

He pulled the letter out from his bag. "The king has- ah, a message for the, um, Zora… King."

The Zora barked a laugh. "You, with a message from the Hylian King? You're quite the joker."

"I'm serious!" He pouted. "Look, this has the Hylian stamp and everything!"

The Zora glared. "Do I look like a fool? Leave, or I'll throw you in the river."

"Please let me in! This is important!" Oulson was almost begging. "You could be in danger!"

The Zora tilted his head. "What sort of danger? A flood?"

"No!" Oulson yelled. "Sorcerer! Mad magic man killing people!"

The Zora frowned. "What?"

"Evil magic sword man that teleported away!"

The Zora shook its head. "Thats just crazy. Or stupid." He paused. "Actually, both."

"Listen to me! I-" Oulson felt a hand on his should and he shrieked, stumbling away from whoever appeared behind him.

"Careful!" The Sheikah hissed behind his mask, grabbing Oulson's neck to steady the clumsy boy.

"Sheikah?" Muttered the puzzled Zora. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to collect the boy."

"Why is your hair orange?"

"Ginger, but we have that sometimes."

Oulson shook his head. "I haven't got the letter to the king yet."

"Sorry, Impa's word is final. It's too dangerous."

"Wait," The Zora leapt down, landing gracefully between them. "The boy wasn't lying?"

"No." She Sheikah confirmed. "There's a sorcerer thats amassing a power of sorts, by Lake Hylia. Could have started moving my now."

The Zora grimaced. "Oh, _great_. I'll get word to the King."

"Take the letter!" Oulsons hand shot out, offering it up. After a moment, the Zora grabbed it and turned to the waterfall, which opened up before him. Without so much as a nod, he leapt through the entrance and sprinted off as the waterfall covered the entrance once again.

The Sheikah grabbed Oulsons shoulder. "Time to go. Where's your horse?"

He pointed downstream. "Just down the river."

"Ok." Before he could protest, Oulson was hanging to the Sheikahs back as they left off the walls, arriving at his horse in a couple of seconds. As Oulson climbed down, he stumbled, grinning.

"That was amazing!" He gushed. "Can all Sheikah do that?"

Behind his mask, the Sheikah blushed. "Ah, well, yeah. But it took half my life to learn that."

Oulson grinned. "You're amazing."

"Aw, you're too kind." He gestured to the horse. "Get on. I recommend closing your eyes and prepare to get bucked off."

Oulson hopped up onto the horse and shut his eyes tight, preparing for the alien feeling of teleportation. He heard the Sheikah take a deep breath, and suddenly the light behind his eyelids disappeared and he felt a rush of wind and he was thrown onto the ground. Grunting, he got up and nursed his newly forming bruises. He opened his eyes and found himself in the courtyard with the Sheikah being dragged around by his horse. Eventually, he just gave up and fell to the ground.

The image of the unstoppable Sheikah warrior had somehow disappeared.

A different thought sprung into his head.

"Why was I sent back?"

The Sheikah stood up and dusted himself off. "Didn't you hear me? That sorcerer is going something by Lake Hylia."

"But I thought that no Sheikah could sense anything."

He readjusted his mask. "We all make mistakes. This one was trusting our abilities without bothering with our eyes." He gestured to the trainee barracks. "They'll be waiting for you in there."

After a small thanks, he jogged into the just in time to see Captain Graves screaming at a sheepish Diddy and Eshie.

" _Where is Link?!_ "

* * *

Epona bolted into the ranch, almost crashing right into Ingo.

"Idiot!"

Link pulled sharply on Eponas reins, halting her instantly. "Sorry!"

Ingo glared. "What the hell was that?! Moving like Demise himself is on your ass!"

"I said sorry!"

"Link?"

Malon walked out, stunned. After a second, a grin spread across her face. "Link!" She sprinted over and pulled him off Epona to hug him. "What are you doing here?"

In spite of himself, Link smiled. "It's good to see you too." He tried to force her off. "Malon, please. Malon- Malon, get off!"

She laughed. "Nope, can't hear you."

"What's all this here commotion?" Talon grunted as he exited the barn. Upon seeing Link, he straightened up, blinked, and pointed at him. "Wha?"

"Talon!" Link tried to move over, but with Malon still clinging to him, the both toppled over.

"Link, what'd ya doing here? You're supposed ta be in the castle."

"Talon, I'm so sorry, but there isn't a nice reason." He tried to get up again, but Malon sat on him. "Malon!"

Talon rolled his eyes. "Malon, get of the poor boy."

Malon pouted. " _Fine_." She rolled off and allowed Link to stand up and dust himself off.

"Now son, what's this not nice reason yer on about?"

Link nodded and grabbed the letter from the pouch around Epona and handed it to Talon. "A sorcerer attacked at the Tournament and escaped. He's doing something magical now, somewhere, and you need to get out of here."

Talon took a moment to read the letter before handing it to Ingo. "Ya sure 'bout this, son?"

"Word of honour."

"Ya realise what yer askin'? Abandon the Ranch? What we'd be leavin' behind?"

"This is just in case!" Link shifted uncomfortably. "It'll be fine for a day or two, right?"

"Ya don't understand the scope of these things son."

"I don't know Talon." Ingo interjected. "Link doesn't lie, not to you anyway. I say we go with him, just for a few days."

Malon turned to Link and mouthed " _What?"_ He just blinked. Ingo was screaming at him just a minute ago, so he was even more baffled.

Talon sighed. "Yeah, yeah, suppose your right, just…" He shook his head. "What're we gonna do, huh?" He was silent for a second. "Malon. Pack yer stuff. As much as the horse can take. Without hurting them, ya hear?"

"Yes dad." With a last glance at Link, she ran into the house.

"Ingo, get the horses ready. And find some food for Epona here." Wasting no time, Ingo grunted and moved off.

Talon turned to Link, who was calming Epona. "Link," He waved slightly to catch the boys attention. "I'm gonna head inside and pack ma bags. Could ya help out Ingo?"

He didn't hesitate. "Of course."

"Alright son." He smiled. "Malon and I'll be ready in five minutes."

"Got it." Link waved and ran after Ingo. When he had left, Talon took a look around the ranch. He hated to leave his home, but he'd rather Malon was safe then staying here. He opened the door and moved towards his room. Now where did he put his pack for occasions like this?

* * *

"Mr Ingo!"

Ingo looked back and scowled. "I don't need your help."

Link ran up to his side. "You still need to pack. The faster we do this, the faster you can get your stuff together."

Ingo screwed up his face and forged ahead. He didn't mind the help, and Link brought up a good point, but he didn't like people thinking he needed help. People need to do there jobs, or end up fat and lazy. Like Talon.

"You get some carrots for your horse. You need to take care of your own steed."

Link smiled and moved to the trough. Ingo looked at the horses, assessing them all. He needed a tougher and stronger horse for Talon, most likely the troupe leader. That stallion would be able to cary him to the ends of the earth. But probably not back. For himself, he selected a strong mare with golden coat, one that could carry Ingo and all his belongings rather well. As for Malon, he considered her sharing a horse, but decided against it. More steeds would allow speed and more belonging to be brought along. He chose a small piebald colt. Not too big, not too young. Just within her boundaries. He looked over to Link, who was shoving carrots into the pouch that previously held the royal letter. "When you're done, help me get the saddles and reins. We'll need a large, small and average, got that?"

"Yes, Mr Ingo."

"Good." He singled out the horses and led them to the stable, with Link following behind. When they arrive, Link took a moment to lay out the carrots for Epona before meeting Ingo in the stable.

"You know how to strap on a saddle boy?"

Link made a face. "Come on, you know I can."

"Then get a move on." He paused. "You might need that." He said, indicating to a wooden step.

Link ignored him. "You can go pack your stuff, Mr Ingo. I can handle this."

Ingo raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He dropped the saddle he was holding. "Don't keep us waiting then." The boy needed to learn not to make promises he couldn't keep.

Link scoffed. That was rude. He picked up the saddle and went to put it on the horse, but was too short. Begrudgingly, he dragged the stool over and, with a grunt, threw the saddle over the horse and started started tightening the straps. Once he was satisfied, he moved to Malon's horse, after feeding him a stray apple. It was easier with this one. Reminded him of when Malon first taught him to set up a saddle on Epona. It took a lot less attempts this time. She'd be proud of him. With a final nod, he slung the final saddle over his shoulder and threw it into the stallions back. Just as he was finishing, he felt his hat slipping from his head. He turned just as it fell from the horses mouth. "Hey!" He shouted. "Don't do that!" He pulled his hat back down and went back to tightening the final straps, only to see the horse to try it again. He glared. "Don't you dare."

The horse whinnied and stole his hat. Link yelled and tried to get his hat back, only for Ingo to come in that very second.

 _Of course._

"Well, you got further then I expected, I'll give you that."

"The horse has my hat!"

He rolled his eyes. "Convenient excuse." He picked up the reins and opened up his hand, and the horse dropped the hat into his palm. "Easy." Link swiped his hat back and shoved it onto his head. Ingo jerked his head at the other reins. "Stop dawdling!"

* * *

"Up ya go!"

Talon helped Malon onto her horse. She slipped into her stirrups and beamed, shifting to get into a comfortable position. Ingo was already on his horse, and held a pitchfork in his off hand. Talon moved over to his horse and, with a heavy grunt, climbed onto their back.

Link stroked Epona. "Come on girl. Time to go." He prepared to hop onto her when he felt a dull pain in his sword hand.

Talon frowned. "Ya ok son?"

Link looked south, where the darker clouds were forming. There was a sound, a distant rumbling.

"Son?"

"Shh!" Link listened, trying to place what it was, because it sure wasn't thunder.

Regardless, he didn't trust it, and climbed onto a now rested Epona. "We need to go."

"Sorry?"

"I don't know, but we need to go!"

He didn't wait for a response. He urged Epona to move, to lead them away. Whatever that sound was, it was the herald of bad things.

The dark clouds trailed behind them as fled Lon Lon Ranch, with the dull sound echoing behind them.

* * *

 **Hello!**

 **As I said in a previous post that is most likely deleted by now, I will be taking a small Hiatus to focus on personal projects. Also stuff I have no say in and I have to do because MONEY WAS PAID DAMNIT. The worst part is this thing I have to do is on the same day as when Metroid Samus Returns is released. So I can't play it for a week. I hate everything.**

 **Also, I once again ask for help with the editing of previous chapters that have been deleted from my doc manager. If anyone could send me something about that in the reviews or something, you would be my hero.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**


	17. Chapter 17 - Fight or Flight

"Are you fucking with me?!"

Captain Graves was, in his own words, royally pissed.

"You two, after hearing me _order_ him to stay, decided that it would be fine to just let him go without me noticing?"

Diddy and Eshie stood there, staring at their feet. Both of them instinctively tried to think of a good excuse for their actions. However, even with two minds, they were too guilt ridden and timid to find one that was convincing.

Graves buried his hands in his face. "Why, just… just couldn't you have tried to stop him?"

Oulson sat on his bed, watching them. He had no idea Link had gone until he returned. While he was shocked by such a stupid act of cockiness, he had to admire his bravery. If he had watched someone murdered in front of him, he would have shut down for the rest of the week. But Link always insisted on helping everyone.

The ginger sheikah stood off to the side, watching Graves ramble on. Graves had initially told him to go get Link, but the problems simply overwhelmed him; the sheikah had acted as escorts to the trainees, following them. As soon as the signal went up, they collected them and left. Hargrave had then seethingly asked why no one had noticed no one was going to Lon Lon. All he should do was shrug.

The door opened and Nelo marched in. "Captain?"

He sighed. "Yes, What is it?"

She spoke grimly. "The dark presence. It's an army."

Graves blinked. "What?"

"An army, Captain. One moving towards Castle Town now. Get ready at the gate."

Graves stood there. After a moment, he erupted into a string of curses.

"Captain!" Nalo barked. "There are children present!"

"Yes," He hissed through his teeth. "but not all of them."

"What?" She quickly counted everyone in the room. "Who's missing?"

The ginger raised his hand. "Hi again. A boy went to Lon Lon against orders. His name-"

Nelo cut him off. "It was Link, wasn't it."

He nodded meekly.

Nelo took a deep breath, stormed out and screamed a curse into her hands.

* * *

The noise was getting louder.

The horses were moving at a fair pace, making good ground. But that echoing was growing with every passing moment. The sun was now concealed by the dark clouds, and the hot winds were building.

"What is that sound?" Ingo called out. After riding for some time, they could hear it over the drum of hooves over the ground.

"Whatever it is, I don't wanna shake its hand." Talon grunted.

Links brow was furrowed in concentration. What that noise was… it was at the edge of his mind. Was it something he had faced before? Nothing in his memory matched the sound. Too fast to be a Dodongo, too loud for a Gohma, too inconsistent to be both. What? What was that damn noise?!

Malon pointed behind her. "I see something!"

Behind them, in the distance, just beyond slowly receding ranch, was a solid line of moving shadows, behind it a cloud of dust.

Link strained, trying to see whatever that was better. His eyes widened. "Dins forge…" He muttered. "Thats monsters." He cursed. "Thats an army of monsters!"

He was right. Monsters, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of monsters, charging towards the castle. Astride skeletal horses and demonic boars, they were trampling everything in their path. The various creatures howling and screaming were too far to see, but the shadows became distinct colours. Browns, purples, oranges. The gleam of weapons could be seen from even that distance. But that wasn't what they all noticed.

"They're gaining."

* * *

Graves planted his helmet firmly on his head as he entered the main gate. This was the only way in, and it was defended with a moat, drawbridge, portcullis and two dozen hawk-eyed scouts, each one a master with a bow.

He addressed the assembled men. "Get that drawbridge ready to rise. Once it's up, we must expect a siege. Archers, get in position and get you bows strung."

The lieutenant came to his side. "Captain, shouldn't we raise the drawbridge now?"

Hargrave shook his head. "The residents of Lon Lon Ranch haven't arrived. We don't lift the drawbridge until they get here."

The lieutenant nodded before heading down to the streets, ordering knights and lance wielding scouts into formation.

"How did this happen?"

Graves jumped. Impa had appeared beside him silently. He pinched his nose. "I'm not gonna make in past forty."

"Forgive me."

He waved his hand. "Eh, I should have be ready for it." He looked over the ramparts. "What did you mean by that?"

"Link."

His eyes narrowed. "Oh. Funny story." Impa raised an eyebrow. "The reason is, children have no respect for my authority."

She sighed. "Fantastic. I'll get him."

Graves frowned. "Wait, are you needed here? With the council? Or the princess? Or the king?"

"Nelo is with the King, the council is waiting to see how things unfold, and I have a dozen of the Kings knights protecting the princess. To be honest, I would prefer two dozen more, but we're spread thin."

"Oh." He pursed his lips. "Ok." He patted her on the back. "Good luck."

Slowly, Impa turned to him. "Don't do that."

"Sorry."

* * *

"Come on!" Link shouted.

The monsters were close enough to properly see now. Link recognised Moblins, hideous amalgamations of boar and man, bloodcurdling howls echoing as they closed in. Outnumbering them were imp like creatures a slanted foreheads and flat noses. Their weapons were crude but still deadly, clubs and heavy cleavers. Link noticed this, because they insisted on waving them over their heads.

Stupid, but intimidating.

Malon noticed Link falling behind. "Link! Hurry up!"

Link unclasped his bow and opened his quiver. "I can take anyone out that gets too close." He called back. "It's a bit easier when Epona's slower."

"Link!"

"Don't worry." He grinned. "I know what to do."

Link turned away and nocked an arrow, taking aim. An imp was bolting ahead of the others on a stalhorse. Link took a deep breath, exhaled, and let his arrow fly. It spun through the air and crossed the distance in moments, shattering the steeds skull, reducing it to a group of detached bones moving at high speeds. The imp fell to the ground and was carried several meters before he stopped. Link hissed in frustration. The arrow had been too low, and he hit the horse instead. He was rusty.

A few moments later, the imp was trampled to death by the army behind him, so ultimately Link wasn't too upset.

As he nocked another arrow, he assessed the army. If he wanted to slow them down, just shooting into the masses would be pointless. If he hit those horses, he might make someone stumble, but if he could topple one of those boars…

Like the one that was barreling at him at that moment.

Link cursed and fired an arrow at the animal, piercing its snout but not slowing it, and Link guided Epona to avoid the boar colliding into the young mare. The imp came up beside Link and swung their cleaver down at him, and in a moment, Link let his bow fall down his arm and grappled with the imp, his hands clamped against the imps wrists, trying to stave of the weapon and its boney hand. Despite its scrawny appearance, it was surprisingly strong, pushing the blade closer to his face. If he tried to ride away, they would both fall and trampled into a fine red mist.

Link shifted his right hand, trying to readjust the safer hand. He pushed off the imps arm and drew his sword, slashing across their face, who reeled back howling. Link passed the blade to his sword hand and stabbed the boar in its eye. It unleashed an unholy screech and, guided by a kick to the wound, swerved away from Link and into the army, carving through them and leaving a pile of mangled bodies and toppled boars behind them.

Link turned to the others, who were far ahead of him. "See?" He called out. "Told you!"

Talon waved over. "Ya've done enough, son! Get over here!"

Link leaned over to Eponas ear. "Come on Epona. Let's catch up." Epona perked up and pushed on, slowly closing the distance between them.

As he got closer, seeing Malon beaming at him, Link felt his confidence growing. He had gone it. He had saved them. Everything was going to be

A moblin and an imp on stalhorses broke away from the chaos and charged towards Link. Ingo shouted a warning, and Link spun to them. He hastily shot an arrow at them, but they swerved to avoid. Link nocked another arrow and shot it directly into the moblin's throat, and turned to collect another arrow, but the imp was faster and threw their club at him, smacking him square in the back.

He fumbled, trying to grab something, something to keep him on, but all his hands found were arrows, and, off balance, he fell to the ground hard. He pushed himself off the ground to stare the imp down as it turned its horse around to face him. Link fumbled at the ground, struggling to find an arrow. As the imp reared its horse, Link clasped his hand around a wooden shaft and, in a split second, nocked and fired it into the imps beady little eye, toppling them over along with the stalhorse.

Link cried out as daggers of pain shot through his back. The club had done more than just thrown him off balance. He rubbed his spine, which was throbbing in pain. Every time he moved his shoulders, it sent more daggers through his mind.

He turned to the advancing army. There was no escape, he was sure of that. Odd. He didn't feel paralysed. What was the difference? Why would he continue now?

His ears perked, directing his attention behind him. He saw Talon and Malon calling out to him, distraught, and Epona sprinting back to her rider.

 _This is the difference?_

Painfully, he stood up and waved. "Go! Shoo!" He shouted to Epona. "Go to Malon! Leave me!" The stubborn mare tilted her head, but didn't slow. Link hissed. "Get out of here! You're killing yourself!" Realising Epona wouldn't listen, he bent down and picked up a bone. "I'm sorry." He threw it at Epona, who came to a swift stop. "Go!" He threw another bone at her. "Please! Go! Malon needs you!" Slowly, the horse began to sulk away from her rider, before galloping away.

"Thank you."

Link searched the ground for arrows. Many of them had been snapped or splintered when he had fallen, but Link quickly collected a dozen that were in perfect condition. Collecting them in one hand, he drove them into the ground and nocked his bow. Gritting his teeth in pain, he drew back the string and chose a target; a moblin on a boar. He took a deep breath, breathed out, and released. The arrow met its mark, burying itself in the monsters collar, but rather than making the boar swerve like before, it bucked of its rider from the sudden movements. Link nocked another arrow, ignoring the pain, and selected a new target. He aimed at a boar, ignoring the rider, and fired at its face. The arrow lodged itself into the boars shoulder, but it didn't slow down. Hissing, Link fired another arrow, which glanced off its skull. Once more, he painfully drew back an arrow and released.

This arrow managed to find its way through the boars muscles and pierced the poor creatures heart. With one last horrific squeal, the beast toppled over, crashing into the monsters beside in and creating a blockade of bodies, alive or otherwise.

Good. That would get Malon and the other some more time.

A moblin managed to escape the carnage and charged at Link on a stalhorse. Link plucked an arrow from the ground and aimed. But he stalled.

As the moblin came close, something moved pasting Link quickly and, with a furious howl, Ingo speared the moblin with his pitchfork and pushed them to the ground.

Link creased his bow. "What?"

Ingo glared. "What were you thinking?!" He shook his head. "Doesn't matter, I don't care. Get on!"

Grabbing the remaining arrows, Link leapt onto the stallion and they bolted, once again, to the castle.

* * *

Impa stared at the advancing army. Still too far to assess, Impa paced up and down the ramparts. Link wasn't dead yet. She knew that much. But if they hadn't arrived by now, then that was even more disconcerting.

A movement caught her eye. She squinted, focusing on the small object. Was it a scout? Were they faster then they thought?

 _No… That's a human._

Talon and Malon, their steeds side by side along with Epona, were heading directly for the drawbridge. Though she couldn't see them, she was sure Ingo and Link were close behind.

"Captain." She called out. Captain Graves ran to her side.

"What is it?"

"I see them. Prepare to raise the drawbridge on my command." She stepped onto the ramparts.

"Wait, wait!" Hargrave stopped her. "What about the command?"

"You'll get it. So be ready."

Graves looked to his feet in confusion for just a moment, but when he looked up, Impa was already gone.

* * *

Talon blinked. "What?!"

He looked behind him. A second ago, there had been nothing. Now, there was a woman with white hair and armour. This was confusing.

"What is it dad?" Malon called out.

He shook his head. "Nothin'. Just keep going darlin'!"

Impa walked ahead, collecting caltrops from a satchel, planning there placement. From here, she could definitely see Ingo and Link quickly closing the distance between them, and jogged to meet them.

As they drew closer, Link saw her and tried to hide behind Ingo. It didn't work.

"You are in so much trouble." Was all she said as they passed.

Clear of all civilians, Impa tossed the caltrops in a wide arc in front of her, repeating multiple times. As the army drew closer, she emptied her satchel and, with a satisfied nod, departed. As skilled as she was, she knew that she would last no longer than a couple of minutes against such a dense force.

She stepped onto the the gateway entrance and walked to Captain Graves.

"Please tell me thats you, Impa."

"It's me."

"Oh thank the goddesses." He grinned as he turned to her. "You're driving me mad."

Impa gazed out onto Hyrule Field. "Is the drawbridge prepped to to be closed?"

"Yes."

Talon, Malon and Epona came closer and closer to the entrance.

"Men!" Graves called back to the men in the street bellow him. "Prepare for civilians and a spare horse! They're coming in fast, so clear a path!" They complied, clearing a path between them. "Archers! Nock and draw!" The order was followed with the sound of wood creaking and strings being stretched.

The ranch hands surged ahead, straight towards the gateway. Not far behind, Ingo and Link.

"Steady."

Malon, Talon and Epona shot through the gateway, leaving just Link and Ingo. While the caltrops had slowed down the more dangerous boars, monsters on stalhorses had been undeterred, and were close behind them.

"Take aim men!"

Link and Ingo were close, within a hundred meters of the gate when Graves gave the order.

"Release!"

"Get down!" Ingo warned, and they leaned as low as they could. The sound of arrows whistling above them filled the air, and somehow Ingo managed to keep the stallion on course and, with the monsters behind them being turned into pin cushions, they easily made it through the gate.

Without a second of hesitation, Impa shouted "Raise the bridge!"

Gears and cogs creaked and moaned as the drawbridge slowly, painfully, moved, up and closed.

The rest of the army had caught up and were moving as fast as they could to get to the bridge before it closed. And at the rate it was closing, they could make it.

"Release!"

Another volley of arrows arced overhead and slowed the advancing army. They forged ahead, only for another volley to pin them down once again.

The Drawbridge was high now, further than any monster should be able to reach. However, in an act of madness, an Imp launched itself off it's steed towards the drawbridge, grabbing onto the bridge as it rose up. However, instead of climbing up and dying by being run through by a spear, it was too slow, having it's fingers crushed as the gate fully closed, sending howling into the moat, where the stupid creature drowned.

Impa nodded. "I believe you can handle things here?"

Graves crossed his arms. "Yep. Thanks for helping."

Impa grunted, before heading down the steps. Talon and Malon were hugging each other, father comforting his daughter, and Ingo was leaning against his horse, exhausted. A little further on, Link was hugging Epona, his eye closed. Impa walked up to him and picked him up by his collar.

"Hey!" He exclaimed in surprise.

"Be quiet." Impa hissed. "You are in so much trouble."

"But I-" Impa cut him off.

"I don't care." She glared at him. "Do you believe yourself immortal? You could have killed yourself. If you truely want to be a knight-" Link sighed, and Impa brought him to her eyes. "Listen to me! You must learn that, at least! You're not a hero anymore, you are a _child_! Until you body catches up with your delusions, you _will_ _not_ challenge me, _or_ those unfortunate enough to be duty bound to protect you! _Have I made myself clear_?!"

Link went silent before his lip began to tremble and tears began to build up, and Impa feared she may have been to forceful. She pushed away the thought and set Link down. "Now take Epona and go to your dormitory, and stay there unless told otherwise."

Link, forcing back his tears, grabbed Eponas reins and hurried off, furiously trying to hide his tears.

Impa sighed. He meant well, but he was too young, even after all he'd gone through, to be so reckless. She spun on her heel and headed towards the castle. The council would need her in time, but she needed some time to herself, and simply decided to walk there.

* * *

 **Why does this chapter feel, I dunno, underwhelming?** **Maybe it's too long, but I don't know, I'm just a silly fanfic writer.**

 **Anyway, I tried to do the thing I said I would do in the last chapter, but I didn't because it just wasn't as... fun, I guess. Weird. This silly thing is more fun for me then something I think I'm more passionate about.**

 **Weird.**

 **BTW, thanks for sending me the best pair of reviews ever "Z". Look them up on the reviews, they published on September 18 2017. It's hilarious.**

 **Not much to say here, really. Um, scared of the swordsman? He's nasty, isn't he?**

 **Ugh, I'm really not feeling it right now. I feel like this isn't that engaging, like that chapter with Link trying to convince people to vote. Well, this is a little better I hope, but still, I feel I could have done better.**

 **Um, the only thing I can really add is how old the king is.**

 **54.**

 **He's 54.**

 **Also happy I got to make Link a little more childish with that last scene. He** ** _IS_** **still a kid. Sometimes I forget that.**

 **Anyway, things are picking up, next set of chapters will be full on. Later on there will be a time skip or two, but I've got plans in between. In the meantime, play Devil May Cry 3. Why? Because I love that game shut up.**


	18. Chapter 18 - Siege

Arrows pelted the advancing army, pinning them down several meters from the gate, but as far as Captain Graves could see, there was no end to the monsters. As soon as one of them fell, another simply climbed over its corpse, getting smarter and bolder. A group of imps lifted the limp body of a moblin over their heads and surged forward, shielding them from the deadly precision of the archers. Seeing their success, other monsters mimicked them, and slowly the army pushed forward, closer and closer to the gate.

"Lieutenant Fabe!" Graves spun to his ally. "Take some men to the street to the right of the town square. Bring me as many bombs as you can carry."

The lieutenant, with little more than a quick salute, marched down to the main street and pulled away some scouts.

Confident the lieutenant would pull through, he turned back to the amassing monsters. They were smarter than any he had ever seen before. Piling up the corpses, a makeshift barricade was made, shielding the closest monsters from harm. Whenever another beast or monster died, it was tossed on top of the pile, just another brick in the wall.

An imp darted out from behind the barricade and fired an arrow the wall, barely missing a scout who fumbled with his bow and hid behind a rampart. With a burst of confidence, a large squad of imps jumps out from their hiding places and returned a volley of arrows to the walls. Hargrave and his men were fast enough to shield themselves with the ramparts, but the men guarding the street had no warning, and if not for their armour, many would have died. At it was, the knights had been unscathed by the attack, their armour completely covering them. The scouts, however, didn't have the full plate armour of the knights, and while what they did have protected them from fatal injuries, arrows stuck out of the arms and legs of many. Those that escaped uninjured helped the injured out of harms way. A shout went out from the walls and, as quickly as they could, the knights rushed shield the unprotected and injured as another volley flew over the walls.

The archers, their nerves steeled, acted independently, darting out from the ramparts and releasing an arrow before darting right back. The monsters were disorganised, always focusing their efforts on where the most recent attack had come from. Eventually one of his men darted out too soon and was met by an arrow in his neck. He reeled back, before anyone could reach him, fell onto the street bellow, snapping his neck. Hargrave gritted his teeth.

A group of moblins, safe from a constant onslaught, began tossing dead bodies into the moat. In under a minute, a carpet of corpses was built over the water.

An archer caught a glance at the moat. "What the?"

Graves turned to her. "What is it?"

The archer shook her head. "They're throwing their bodies into the moat, Captain."

"How many?"

"Any they can find."

Graves scratched his chin. _Are they making room to move around?_

He nodded to the archer. "Let me look."

Craning his head around the rampart, he scanned the piled up bodies covering the moat. He saw a moblin try to step on the pile, it's leg slipping into the water. With a snarl, it tossed in another body.

"Oh, damn dearie damn." He rubbed the back of his neck and turned to the archer. "They're making a human ramp. A monster ra- _a ramp made of bodies_." He thought for a moment. "We're going to try another volley. Pass the word on."

She gave a quick salute before turning to inform those behind her, with Graves doing the same.

At his command, the archers stood up and fired onto the front lines, cutting through a large amount of monsters.

But the monsters had been patient. As soon as the archers had sprung out, they had retaliated with their own volley and, while their accuracy was far inferior, the sheer amount of arrows led to some finding their mark. One shot into Hargraves breastplate, driving him from feet. For a moment, he stared at the shaft stuck in his chest before scoffing and pulling it from breastplate. The arrowhead was warped and barely attached to the shaft, but it was clean. He threw it to the ground and turned to his men.

Several had arrows sticking out of them, and few had been as lucky as he had. One had an arrow sticking through their shoulder, and the woman next to him had her helmet knocked off from the same arrow that left a large gash across her forehead, and a deep cut from her wrist to her inner elbow, which was bleeding heavily.

"Get the injured out of here! Anyone that can use a bow, get up and replace them!"

Men scrambled to remove the growing number of injured and take up their bows. They lacked the organisation that Graves men had, but they still managed to end the lives of more than a few monsters.

The bodies now fully encompassed the moat, with makeshift ramps being built against the walls, hurriedly climbing up them before the bodies below dissolved into darkness. Graves and a few others took up spears to knock down the larger piles, but with each monster killed, another body was thrown on.

A shout went up from the street. "Captain!"

Graves retreated away to assess the situation and grinned. "That look's really heavy Fabe!"

The lieutenant and his men each had a large bag slung over their shoulders, touting _very_ explosive cargo.

The lieutenant struggled up the gate. "Sorry we took so long."

Graves ran down to help him "You're here. That's the good thing." He waved at the other men. "Help them out! Get the bombs!"

The contents of the bags were distributed across the walls swiftly, the bombs sitting comfortably in their hands with the other free to pass fire from torch to torch along the wall.

Graves held up a bomb. "On my command, destroy everything they're building. Walls, ramps, whatever." He lit his bomb walked up to the nearest ramp of bodies and let it fall from his hand. It landed next to a moblin, who, in a panic, tried to lob it back, but was too slow.

The explosion sent shockwaves through the gate wall, tearing apart the ramp and anything on it.

"And throw!"

The bombs shredded apart the defences that had been built up, leaving small craters in the ground and the army. The carpet of bodies began to thin, causing those used to scale the walls to collapse and take their places. When enough of the defences were blasted away, the remaining archers resumed their assault, shooting down any stragglers. Bombs were dropped into the moat to destroy the bodies and sink any survivors. The sounds of the monsters screaming in fear was drowned out by the constant, deafening explosions.

Graves stepped back, wincing at every boom, every bang. He could see that the monsters were terrified, scrambling away, out of the range of the bombs, then out of range of the arrows. Many of the boars had been gone wild from the sound of explosions and fled their riders. Eventually, they fell into a full retreat. Even with their vast numbers, they were still just creatures that didn't want to die.

"Hold!" Graves shouted at the top of his lungs.

After a few seconds, the explosions stopped, leaving just the ringing in everyones ears. Graves moved forwards to assess the battlefield. The wall was covered with sooty marks and chipped stone, but it hadn't received any structural damage. The moat and surrounding fields were covered with random body parts, with anything still attached to the main body of the monster beginning or part way through dissolving into darkness. The nearby field was a mess, pockmarked with small craters of upturned dirt, and every space that wasn't had arrows sticking out like needles in a pin cushion.

The lieutenant came up beside him. "There's still a lot of them."

Graves nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll get the injured off to an infirmary."

Graves flashed him a smile. "Good idea. Thanks." The lieutenant gave him a pat on the back and moved on. Graves spun around and walked to his men. "Alright! Good job there! You all deserve a pat on the back." With his prompt, they all did just that. Despite the grim nature of what had just happened, they couldn't help but to smile at the Captains odd enthusiasm. "Now, they're not gone, so we need to be ready if they try again. Take a moment to rest, and stay vigilant!" He pointed skyward with his spear. "It's gonna be a _long_ day."

* * *

Deep in the desert, atop a sand dune, the hag stared into the flames, watching them dance between her boney fingertips. If there was anyone to see this magic, it be dismissed to the heat playing tricks, nothing more than a mirage. But to the hag, the flames were a window. The flames told a story.

"Hee hee hee! Sister! See these flames." The hag cackled.

The crone ambled over to the hag. The hag and the crone were identical, with sickly olive skin wrinkled and stretched over their bones, pulling away from their bulging, bug like eyes with small, amber disks for irises. Their noses stuck out like beaks on a crow. Their mouths were dwarfed underneath their noses, with ancient teeth jutted out from under their lips. Their hair was devoid of all colour and straw like, held up in a sash with ancient runes of blue and red respectively, as if to mimic a broom. They had lost their height to the many centuries they had endured, and what they did have left was diminished by their hunch. A ruby nestled in steel was imbedded the hags skull, with the crone having the same with a sapphire. They wore black robes with a sash, mimicking the colour of the jewels they wore, around their waist.

The crone gazed into the flames. "Ho ho ho! Look's like the Hylians are in a bit of trouble, sister."

The hags mouth twisting into a smile. "Looks like it. Their knights and soldiers are probably all focused on those monsters."

"Probably spread thin."

"Probably busy protecting their people."

"Too busy to guard their prisoners."

The hag turned her head to her sister. "Perhaps we should pay our son a visit?"

"Yes. He hasn't talked to us in such a long time. What a rotten son, making us worry."

The hag summoned a broom to her hand. "Shall we fly, Kotake?"

The crone summoned her own broom. "I believe we shall, Koume."

Twinrova hopped onto their brooms, rising skywards before soaring towards Hyrule, their cackles carried on the hot desert wind.

* * *

 **Hello there.**

 **Underneath is my little rant from earlier. I decided to keep it just to cleat some things up.**

 **Anyway, this is the next chapter. It doesn't have Link in it. Holy crap, am I right?**

 **Nah, this chapters ok. Writing sieges is hard. Hope I didn't disappoint anyone.**

 **Ok, so the whole "DISSOLVING INTO DARKNESS" thing is like when the monsters turn dark then** **disappear. I guess I could have said "DISINTEGRATED" but it doesn't sound as good to me. I dunno.**

 **Also the Imps are Bokoblins.**

 **GOOD NEWS**

 **Guess how figured out how to fix bad grammar in older** **chapters?**

 _ **This guy!**_

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **[heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey**

 **guys**

 **It's me**

 **Just wanted to get something regarding this Fic that has annoyed me a** ** _little_** **bit.**

 **This Fanfiction, Courage of a Hero, is supposed to be something that could, in theory, fit into the canon of the franchise.**

 **What has worried (annoyed? disappointed?) me, however, is that people calling it an Alternate Universe Fic.**

 **No.**

 **Please stop it.**

 **This is not an AU. Sometimes I can find them engaging, but for people to read how the Deku tree isn't dead and just go "Nah, that never happened, must be an AU" feels like a punch in the face.**

 **First off, fanfic.**

 **Second, time travel.**

 **Yes I know as soon as Link returns to the past it plays the scene with meeting Zelda for the first time, but come on, I'm sure if Link had any control (which for the sake of this Fic let's say he did, _OKAY?!_ ) or Future Zelda wanted to be extra safe, Link would have come out a bit earlier.**

 **Sorry for ranting, but I'm trying my hardest to fit something in that could actually happen, and it's disheartening when people dismiss it for what I want it to be.]**


	19. Chapter 19 - Eye of the storm

"Two green potions. That will be sixty rupees."

Impa placed three red rupees on the counter and claimed the two bottles. "Thank you."

"I would not advise taking them one after another." The shopkeeper warned.

"Noted." Impa waved her thanks as she left the shop, taking a swig from one of the bottles, enduring the intense bitterness on her tongue. She hadn't realised how exhausted she had become, but it was to be expected. The use of magic, especially teleportation, drains the energy of the user. Excessive use could prove catastrophic for the user.

Impa shuddered as she forced another sip down her throat. Slowly, she felt the emptiness in her stomach begin to ease. It had been years since she expended so much energy is such a short amount of time, and she had forgot how painful it could be.

She headed towards the town square to return to the castle. In the distance, the sounds of explosions had faded away. In all likelihood, the army of monsters had been driven off, or at least repelled. She would be wanted back to advise the next action.

As she walked through the town, her mind still foggy, she saw a group of horses, along with two men and a young girl with fiery hair. After a moment, the pieces clicked in her mind. The residents of Lon Lon Ranch. She thought for a moment, shrugged, and approached them.

"Mr Talon?" She prompted.

The portly man spun on her and instinctively put himself between Impa and his daughter. "That's me. Whadaya want?"

Impa raised her hand. "Peace. I'm a friend. Link brought you here, correct?"

Malon peeked around her father. "You know Link?"

Impa smiled. "Yes. I am the attendant of Princess Zelda."

Talons eye's widened. "Lady Impa!"

Impa waved away his shock. "Peace."

Malon came out from behind her father. "Where's Link?"

Impa grimaced. "He's in the dormitory with the other trainees."

"But why isn't he here?"

"He needs to be disciplined."

Malon blinked. "What?"

Talon looked Impa in the eye. "Disciplined? Is he in trouble?"

Impa pursed her lips. "He went against our commands. Commands from me and Captain Graves."

Talon raised an eyebrow. "Wha' are these 'commands?'"

"He was ordered to stay at the dormitory."

"He's beein' punish fer saving us?"

Impa shook her head. "No, not at all-"

Malon jumped in. "Then why are you punishing him?"

"He was supposed to stay."

"Why?"

"He wasn't supposed to leave."

"Why?"

"It was for his own good."

"Why?"

Talon cleared his throat. "Malon, leave the poor woman alone."

Malon pouted. "But dad! She's not telling us anything!"

"Maybe ya should leave. Impa an' I will talk."

"But dad!"

"Now darlin', just listen to me."

Malon bit her lip. "…Fine."

Impa kneeled down to her. "Perhaps you should go to Link. It's been a while since you have seen each other."

Malon shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, ok."

Impa smiled and gave her the directions towards the dormitory. Malon slowly walked off and, with one last look behind her, ran off towards the castle.

Talon turned to Impa. "Now. Tell me ev'rythin'."

Impa straightened herself. "You know of the swordsman, correct?"

Talon nodded. "Yeah. Went off an' killed someone, right?"

"Yes, Captain Viscen."

"That's nice an' all, but what does this 'ave ta do with Link?"

Impa was quiet for a moment. "When the swordsman first went on a rampage, he targeted Link."

Talon froze. He tried to form a sentence, but the words alluded him. Eventually, he managed to mutter "But why?"

"We don't know." Impa clenched her teeth. "With the vast dark magic at his disposal, he shouldn't have been able to approach the town without every sheikah converging on him."

"I… I understand now." He stuttered. "You're right. The boy should 'ave stayed."

"There's more."

Talon slapped his forehead. "Hylia above!"

"When Captain Viscen was killed, he was protecting Link."

Talon frowned. "Whatdya sayin'?"

"Link saw him get decapitated." She whispered.

The both fell silent. Talon's face was a mask of shock and horror, and Impa was suddenly very, _very_ tired.

Slowly, Talon shook his head. "Why… how did this happen?"

"I don't know." She hissed. "I don't bloody know. And I hate it." It was true. Impa had eyes and ears across the kingdom, to protect Hyrule and its people, a job that was only second to the safety of the princess. And yet, she was still useless.

Talon held his head. "That boy… he'll be scarred for life, he will." His voice shook. "Goddesses, please don't forsake the boy!"

Impa placed her hand on his shoulder. "Peace. Link is far more tenacious than most sheikah I have trained. In time, this trauma will fade."

"An' until then?"

"We will help him through it. You have my word."

* * *

Malon burst into the room with a bit too much excitement, startling everyone inside. Eshie brandished a quivering sword in Malon's face.

"Um!" Malon whimpered. "Please don't stab me."

A voice trembled behind them. "Malon?"

Malon spun to face the boy in green, grinning, but was startled to see him sitting on his bed with puffy eyes and a trembling lip. He tried to smile, but he could only muster a grimace. "It's good to see you safe."

Slowly, Malon walked over to him. "Hey, what happened?"

"Impa yelled at me."

Malon winced. "She's really scary."

Link let out a hollow laugh. "Yeah. I forgot that."

Oulson cleared his throat. "So, Link, you gonna introduce us?"

Link turned to the other trainees, as if he forgot they existed, though he quickly regained his composure. "Right, of course. Everyone, this is Malon. She lives at Lon Lon Ranch and taught me how to ride Epona."

Malon gave a little wave. "Hiya."

"Malon, these are the guys that are training to be knights with me." He started to single them out. "That's Eshie, he's Oulson, and that's-"

"Duncan." Diddy interjected, offering his hand for her to shake. "I am Duncan Ilan Dr-"

Link rolled his eyes. "No one calls him that. It's Diddy."

"Hey!"

Malon giggled and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr Diddy."

"There's also Aram," Link continued. "but he's not here."

Malon tilted her head. "Why not?"

"He almost fainted or threw up."

She wrinkled up her nose. "Ew."

Diddy leaned towards her. "We've heard a lot about you."

"You have?"

He grinned. "Yeah. You're a _really_ good friend of Link's, _right_?" At this, Link raised an eyebrow.

Oulson, before he could help himself, blurted out "Are you his girlfriend?"

"Oulson!" Link barked, his face turning as red as a tomato.

Before she could respond, Eshie laughed. "No way! Don't you know? Link's all cozy with the princess, _right_?"

" _Eshie_!" Link grabbed his pillow and threw it in her face.

"The princess?" Malon smirked, amused by her friends horror. "Well, no more free milk for you, mister! And I'll be taking back Epona, thank you very much!"

Link hid his face in his hands. "I hate you all, so much…"

"King Link!" Diddy heralded, waving his arms for dramatic flare. "Sounds pretty cool."

Unfortunately, Link was no longer fragile, but instead embarrassed, and launched himself at Diddy and wrestling him to the ground. While Eshie and Oulson tried to pry them apart, Malon fell onto Link's bed, cackling.

"Ok, ok!" Diddy laughed. "I surrender! I'm sorry!" Satisfied, Link got off him and helped him up. Diddy turned and made a face at Malon. "Why was that so funny?"

"You should know better!" She giggled.

"But we all teased him! Even you!"

"Yeah, but you were the last one to do it."

"Link!" Diddy pouted. "She's evil!"

Link managed a weak smile. "You're all evil."

"Hey!" Oulson grinned. "There's a smile!"

Malon placed a hand on her chest, beaming with mock pride. "I just have that effect on him."

Link laughed. "Oh shut up farm girl."

"No way, fairy boy."

Eshie burst out laughing. "Fairy boy?!"

Link started to blush again, and whispered "Oh no."

* * *

"Captain!"

Graves walked over to a scout holding a telescope. "What is it?"

The scout offered the telescope. "Take a look at this."

Graves complied, taking a look at the far off army. "Tell me what I should see."

"Left a bit." Graves shifted his gaze. "It looks like group is breaking off, heading south east towards the Lost Woods."

Graves found the group, and nodded. "How many have left?"

"About a fifth, Captain."

Graves handed back the telescope. "That doesn't make sense. They're too far south to target even the Zoras." He scratched his chin. "Maybe they're setting up a camp near the forest. Get this back to the council as fast as you can, please. Leave out no details." The scout saluted and Graves dismissed them with a thumbs up. As he turned back to Hyrule Field, another Faction of monsters were charging. "Archers! Bows at the ready! Nock and release on my command!" Once again, the walls became a hive of activity. "On my mark!" The monsters drew in close, ready to probe their defences once again. Bowstrings became taught, and arrows aimed high.

"Release!"

* * *

 **Hey everyone. Merry Christmas.**

 **Not much to say really. There isn't much to this chapter, mainly set things up** **more the next couple of chapters.**

 **Sorry if you're disappointed.**


	20. Chapter 20 - Deep Shadows

Impa ascended the stairs, mindlessly putting one foot in front of the other, letting her mind wonder, and her thoughts were not pleasant. She was only sixteen when the last war began, and what she felt now brought up feelings she had hoped were long buried. Though she would never admit it, or even show it, but she was afraid. Not scared or fearful, but afraid. She exited the stairwell and headed towards the council room. When she arrived, however, she hesitated at the door. Something felt wrong. She turned around to assess the empty corridor, her mind racing, trying to discern what had caused her unease. Then, it hit her. She was alone.

Where were the guards?

In a moment of panic, Impa burst into the room in a panic only to find herself in the same corridor. Confused, she turned to see the door had shut itself behind her. She tried to open it, but it was sealed tight. She planted her back against it and flicked her eyes around the room. It was far darker than before, as if the sun was blotted out, making it harder to see. The wind outside picked up, echoing through the chamber like ghostly laughter.

"Reveal yourself." Impa commanded, but was only met by more ghostly laughter.

Impa drew her dagger and readied herself. Her senses felt numb, blocked by some external force.

Slowly, her eyes fell on an unassuming point on the wall. Keeping her eyes glued to the area, she began to inch her way closer. When she crossed half the distance, she froze.

There was something in the shadows.

Not shifting her gaze, she carefully picked a candle from the wall and, with a sliver of magic, lit it. Immediately, the shadows were repelled.

Except for one.

The shadow of a hunched over hylian remained, their head turned to face Impa. Immediately, she threw her dagger at the shadow, which ducked down as the dagger buried itself in the wall. The shadow darted underneath Impa and shot under the door that she entered through. Dropping the candle, she dislodged her weapon and chased the shadow, only to step on something and stumble. She spun to see what had tripped her, dagger held at the ready. In the flickering light of the candle, she could see a flattened dome made of wood. Cautiously, she picked it up, revealing it to be little more than a mask. She contemplated dropping it, but it hadn't been there before. It was related to the shadow. With that, she attached it to her belt and gave chase to the shadow, bursting through the door.

Into the council room.

The room quieted as Impa entered the council room.

"Ah, Impa." The King smiled. "You're here. Good."

Impa blinked. She looked out into the corridor, where two sheikah stood guard. "Lady Impa?" One of them prompted.

"How did this door open?" She barbed.

"You opened it." Replied the guard, confused. "Quiet forcefully."

"I did no such thing."

The guards frown deepened. "But you just did."

"Is everything alright Impa?" Queried the King.

"I…" Impa took a moment to think. Her senses were no longer hindered, and she felt no presence near them. Eventually, she simply shook her head. "It's been a stressful day."

"Aye." The King agreed.

Impa walked over flopped into the nearest chair without the pose or refinement that she was so insistent on maintaining, adding to the unease that filled the room.

"Forgive me." She muttered. "I'm exhausted."

The King nodded. "Yes, we understand."

The room was significantly less filled than before. With all of the knights and commanders defending the town, this left only the tacticians, strategists and those that insisted on staying. They talked and planned about what to do if defences fell, how to maintain defences, and how long the siege will last. Without anything to add, Impa let her mind wander towards the mask. She removed it from her belt and held it up to get a better look at it. It had an uncanny resemblance to a Deku Scrub, and was expertly crafted. The dark wood was smooth while still maintaining the appearance of a rough tree. The eyes were made of fossilised amber, and fit so well into the mask it was as if they had formed inside it. It's round mouth seemed a part of the mask itself, not something made independently. Impa was rather impressed. Whoever had made it was clearly an artisan. If she determined it to me harmless, it could be a good gift for Zelda. Though it would be after weeks of magical testing, of course.

A knock at the door reeled back her attention. The guards opened the door to let in a scout, and by the looks of things, they had sprinted there from the town walls.

The King raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Captain Graves…" The scout panted.

The King came to full attention. "Graves?"

"Yes, your highness."

He gestured for them to hurry up. "Well, don't keep us waiting. This is clearly important."

The scout wheezed. "The army, you highness. It's- it's splitting up."

"What do you mean? Has command been lost?"

They shook their head. "Doubtful, your highness. A faction… a fairly big faction… is breaking off."

The King stroked his chin. "Where are they headed? After the Zora? Gorons?"

"That's just it, your highness." The scout coughed. "They heading into the forest. By the look of things, into the cursed wood."

Impa's pulse surged. She felt panic build up in her chest, and turned to the King, who had gone pale, but otherwise unmoved.

"I see." He said slowly.

"We don't know why they would go there. There's nothing there."

"Yes." The king muttered. "Regardless, I believe that this makes the task of protecting the Castle Town that much easier. You are dismissed." The scout bowed curtly and left the room. Once they had left, everyone turned to the King. "That applies to you as well. The forest has nothing, and we have strategised for the siege we face. I recommend you get somewhere safe. You are all dismissed." Confused but loyal, everyone left the room, leaving only the King, his attendants, and Impa. He turned to Nelo. "Nelo, I must ask you to leave us as well."

The young woman blinked. "Your highness?"

"I cannot give you the details."

"Nelo, would you please guard the princess?" Impa interjected. "I would feel at greater ease knowing you were protecting her."

Reluctantly, Nelo exited the room. Once the three of them were sure Nelo was gone, they huddled together, speaking only in whispers.

" _The woods?!_ " The King hissed, venting his frustration. "Why in Din's name would they go there?"

The old sheikah frowned at Impa. "Could it be the fragment?" Impa nodded grimly. "How could they know of it?"

"I don't know." She admitted.

"Do you know where it is?" The King queried.

Impa shook her head. "No. Those tasked with hiding them all took there lives immediately after doing so, as ordered. The exact locations died with them."

"So this sorcerer cannot know if it's existence?"

"We don't know." The old sheikah sighed. "We know they are powerful in ways we struggle to comprehend, so they could possibly _feel_ the fragments existence."

Impa gritted her teeth. "If they find it-"

"They won't!" The king growled, before regaining his composure. "They will not. Impa, who do you trust with this information outside of this room?"

"No one."

"Then you will go to the forest. If they are indeed seeking the fragment, do everything in your power to stop them. If not, return immediately."

Impa thought of admitting she was near exhaustion, but thought better of it. She simply nodded and fell into her chair, only too sit on the Deku Mask, and curse in pain.

The old sheikah winced. "Are you alright?"

Imp glared at the mask and picked it up. " _Fine_." She turned to the King. "I will return when I can. Until then, I expect the princess _will be safe_."

The King's warm smile found his face once again. "You have my word."

* * *

Impa marched down the stairwell, glowering at the mask. She would have to put it somewhere while she left. Couldn't have it lost the forest. It could still be a dangerous object. She could also grab something to aid in navigating the forest. She had no intention of dying alone in some forest, with the only thing to comfort her being barbaric Deku Scrubs.

She was unsure how well the mask compared to living Deku Scrubs, but it seemed identical to the illustrations she had seen over the years. She had only seen them with her own eyes once, as they mainly took up residence in the cursed wood. Link would know. He was raised by a Deku after all. The "Great Deku Tree," he had called it. Guardian of the forest. They would probably know where the fragment was.

"Oh shit."

Link wasn't raised alone.

Impa closed her eyes in frustration. The Kokiri would be in grave peril, but it wasn't her concern. They were not Hylian. They were eternal children. She had no need to save them.

But they were children.

Impa cursed.

Link would want to save them. No matter how much he complained about how badly some of them had treated him, they were all he had know for most of his life.

 _Bring Link along then._

Impa scowled at the idea. He was being disciplined for being recklessly heroic, and she was thinking to just making him do it again?

But the pragmatic part of her mind retaliated, reminding her he was raised in the forest, and how of how often he boasted of being the only Hylian able to traverse what he called the 'Lost Woods.'

Hooking the mask through her belt, she changed course for the trainee dormitory.

* * *

"Mido! Come out here! I know you took it!"

Saria was searching the Lost Woods for the self appointed boss of the Kokiri, Mido, who had stolen her jar of honey.

"If you want honey, find a beehive and get it yourself!"

"It's no use Saria." Sighed Esco, her personal fairy. "By the time we find him, it'll all be eaten."

Saria pouted. "But we worked so hard for it!"

Esco's wings wilted. "Yeah, it's not fair."

"Should we just go back and wait?"

"Yeah. Lets get everyone make faces at him."

Saria laughed. "No, that's mean!"

"But he was mean to us!"

" _Esco_." Saria said sternly.

"You're right, I know, but-" Esco's wings perked up and her glow turned yellow. "Saria, hide!"

Saria obeyed immediately, darting up a tree. Moments later, monsters of many shapes and sizes trudged along below her, brandishing weapons both crude and cruel.

"What are they?" Saria whispered. "I've never seen those before."

"Moblins." Esco quivered. "The big scary ones are moblins."

Saria gulped. "And the little scary ones?"

"Bokoblins."

Saria's eyes followed the direction the were traveling. "They're heading straight towards the village." She shifted to climb down. "We have to warn them!"

"Saria no!"

"Esco, we have to!"

"It's too dangerous! Look how many there are." Esco went quiet. "We can't get to them."

Saria shivered. "The Great Deku Tree will protect them, won't he?"

"Of course he will." The fairy said softly. "But right now, he can't protect you. So you _have_ to stay hidden. I'm sorry." A moment of silence passed between them. "Do… do you think Link is ok?"

Saria shot her a smile. "No doubt. He's a hero."

"Think he'll save us?"

"We don't need saving." Saria urged. "I hope."

"And if we do?"

"He'll save us, just in time. Heroes always do that."

The pair of them huddled down, making themselves as small as possible as they could as the animalistic army marched beneath them.

* * *

They arrived at the cusp of the Kokiri Village. With a wordless command, the army halted.

The Swordsman shuffled onto a stone jutting from the ground, his arms shaking above his head, struggling to maintain the spell concealing them from the all seeing gaze of the Forest Guardian. Hissing in pain, he could feel the spell deteriorating, along with his awareness. As the spell collapsed, he wordlessly sent out a simple command to the army, one they would easily follow, before he fell unconscious.

 _Raze it._

* * *

 **Happy New Year! Here's to 2018!**

 **10 months, 20 chapters, over 5000 views, and 1 happy author. Thank you for reading this FanFic. It's been fantastic.**

 **Anyway, enough mushy crap.**

 **You like Saria? I named her Fairy "Esco" after the word "Escort", kinda like "Navi" and "Navigation".**

 **Also, a _LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT_ of foreshadowing in this chapter. Wonder who can figure out what means what.**

 **Heheh. Happy New Year.**


	21. Chapter 21 - One Thousand and One

Impa went to knock at the door. As she did, a thought crossed her mind.

"I am going to enter now." She announced. "And I hope that when I do, there are no sharp objects pointed at me."

She walked through the door to find the children all staring at her, with one child looking particularly guilty. In the absence of an adult, Malon had asked to be taught how to use a sword. At that very moment, she held Links sword above her head with Link guiding her movements. She stared at Impa, and the only way she could have looked guiltier was if she was holding the blade to someones throat.

"Um…" The redhead whispered meekly. "Hi." She handed back the blade to Link, who softly sheathed it.

Impa shook her head. "I don't know, I don't care." She turned her gaze to Link. "We need to talk."

Link hugged himself, afraid. Before anyone could move, Malon jumped between them.

"Leave him alone!"

Impa frowned. "Excuse me?"

"He saved me!" She shouted. " _And_ Dad! _And_ Mr Ingo! You can't punish him for that!"

Impa sighed. "Young Lady, you don't understand the complexity of the situation."

"Yeah, well I _understand_ you made my best friend cry!"

The Sheikahs eyes turned harsh. "I admit, I let my anger control me. But the boy put his life on line, against the better judgement of those that have gone to war." She tilted her head. "Now I suggest that you take a moment and _think_ before insulting me."

"Malon," Link put his hand on the farm girls shoulder. "It's fine. Really."

"But-"

"Malon, I don't regret what I did. I'd do it a thousand times over." He smiled weakly. "But Impa is smarter than us. I should have listened."

Malon scowled. "She's making you feel bad for no reason."

"Malon?" The boy grinned. "Shush. Don't make it worse."

"Sorry, what? I'm defending you. You could at least back me up."

He laughed and softly punched her arm. "It'll be fine. I trust Impa."

"Regardless," Impa interjected. "I have need of Link for a seperate issue."

Link frowned. "What?"

Impa looked around the dormitory. "I must speak with in private. It may take some time. A shield may help."

Link nodded, slowly understanding. "Ok. Should I grab anything else?"

"Of course not. We aren't going to into a fight."

With a nod, Link moved to his bed and slung his sword and shield over his back. Once they were secured on his back, he shot a smile at the other kids and moved to the door, and stopped quickly to hug Malon.

"Don't let her push you around, Fairy Boy." She whispered in his ear.

He winked. "No way."

As he walked through the door, Eshie called out mockingly. "Good luck, Fairy boy!"

He turned back and, looking pink, feigned a smile as Impa closed the door behind him. After a few seconds, Malon spun on Eshie.

"Excuse me?! You can't call him that! Only I get to call him that!"

* * *

Impa led Link through the castle grounds silently. The whole seemed abandoned, with all the knights and soldiers defending the town. Link felt uncomfortable, following the imposing Sheikah without so much as a word between them, but lacked the bravery to converse.

Eventually, they reached a seat that Impa sat down and closed her eyes. Not sure on what he was supposed to do, Link shuffled in next to her.

A moment passed.

Link cleared his throat. "Impa. I'm sorry. I did-"

"That doesn't matter now." She interrupted him. "There will be consequences, but now is not the time."

"I still want to apologise."

"That's fine." She muttered absentmindedly. "But it is unimportant."

Another moment of silence.

Link looked at Impa. "What are we doing?"

"We are sitting down."

Link frowned. "Why?"

"I am clearing my mind. I will inform you in a moment."

They sat there for a minute. The sounds of a battle echoed in the distance. Links mind raced to the worst case scenarios. Something only he could help with. What would that be? Something about the Spiritual Stones? Could the Zora be in trouble?

His mind whirled with the possibilities, only broken when Impa placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Now, allow me to explain." She said solemnly. "A faction of the army has broken off and headed south east."

Links eyes widened. "The Zora?"

Impa shook her head. "No. The cursed forest."

Link frowned. "The curse..?" Suddenly, the blood drained from his face. "Oh no. The Lost Woods." He shot out of his seat. "I let this happen. The Kokiri… goddesses no!" He fell to his knees, holding his head. "It's my fault!"

"Link." Impa knelt down beside him. "Please, calm yourself."

"How do you expect me to be calm?!" He screamed. "I could have warned them! I could have been there!"

"We cannot know if the enemy in going to find them." Impa reassured him. "But we will help them."

Link took a shaky breath. "How?"

"The Sheikah can travel great distances in an instant."

"Teleportation?"

Impa nodded. "A basic, but accurate, word." She held up her hand. "However! I have expended a lot of energy, and even at peak health I would likely struggle to… _teleport_ … directly to the woods themselves."

Link shuddered. "So what are we doing to do?"

She stood up. "You once claimed the there was multiple passageways into and out of the woods, correct?" He nodded. "Which one is the closest?"

Link thought for a moment. "It would be the one in Goron City. It leads right into the Lost Woods."

Impa was silent. She had hoped it would be closer, but she trusted Link. If he said it was closest, it was closest.

"Very well." She stood up. "I will get us there. However," She looked into his eyes. "The consequences of traveling such a large distance may be sever. You may need to keep me alive. Can you do that?"

Link, taking a moment to steel his nerves, nodded. "I can do whatever you need."

"Very well." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Close your eyes."

Link complied and, after a moment of silence, they were gone.

* * *

A wave a cold washed over Link, engulfing him, with a malevolent force grasping at him, dragging him through the darkness, and before Link could gasp in shock, it was over. He stood there for a moment, feeling the heart blast him from all directions, before opening his eyes. He stood before the entrance to Goron City, with smoke of Death Mountain hanging over him.

"We did it." Link sighed in relief, a feeling that only lasted a moment as Impa collapsed to the ground.

Link, panicking, grabbed her shoulders and held her up. Her skin was slick with sweat, yet she was shivering as if she was buried under foot of snow, and her eyes were rolled back to her head.

"Impa!" Link shook her. "Come on, you never said your brain would stop working!"

When she failed to respond, Link backed off. He didn't know what to do. He looked to the entrance to the cave. If he could get inside, Darunia could help Impa. Maybe.

He took off his cap and stuffed it into his belt and slung Impas arms over his shoulders and began dragging her towards the city.

Impa was heavy. Link chalked it up to her muscular build, height and armour. He felt his feet crunching against the gravel beneath him. He hoped he wasn't scratching up Impas knees. He could hear her being dragged through, but he didn't look back. He simply kept moving forwards.

 _Crunch. Crunch._

Usually there was at least one Goron by the entrance, acting as a guard or greeter, but there were none there. Link grumbled, annoyed. They could carry Impa for him, without his sword in her face.

 _Crunch. Crunch._

His legs felt weak, but he was in the cave. He just needed to keep going until he found a Goron.

 _Crunch. Crunch._

Where were the Gorons?

 _Crunch. Crunch._

Link walked through the entrance to the city, and the ground changed from gravel to solid stone. Link saw a strange rock in front of him and sighed in relief, before placing Impa down before approaching. Suddenly, the Goron sort up, baring its teeth and roaring. Instinctively, Link drew his sword.

"Wait," The Goron frowned. "You're not a monster. You're a Hylian."

Link blinked and sheathed his sword. "Right, of course, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh, I wasn't scared." The Goron chuckled. "I was just seeing if I could scare monsters away. Didn't seem to work though."

Link pursed his lips. "Right." He pointed to Impa. "Could you please carry her? She's too heavy for me."

"Of course." The Goron threw her over their shoulder and waddled over. "Say, you look familiar."

"I've been here before." He looked at Impa and winced. "We need to get her some medicine. Where can we get some?"

"Big Brother will know what to do. He has a lot of odd things for Hylians."

Link nodded impatiently. "Ok! Let's go then."

Link ran through the city, urging the Goron to move faster, that she needed immediate aid, drawing the attention of the cities residents. Despite his impulsiveness, the Goron had a good pace, moving quickly yet being sure not to jostle his passenger. In good time, Link found himself outside Darunias alcove.

"I'll go get Big Brother." The Goron said, setting Impa down on the wall.

"No need." Link pulled out a pink ocarina, a treasured gift from his closest friend, from his belt and brought it to his lips, playing the notes of a sacred song, a song used by the royal family, used as a call to arms to their allies and a rally to the people of Hyrule.

A deep growl echoed of the walls, as a tall figure stepped out of cave.

"Darunia!" Link called out. "It's-"

"Hmm?" The chieftain grunted. "Link?"

"Yes, it's-"

"Link!" Darunia broke into a terrifying grin. "Brother!" He opened his arms and, in an instant, crushed Link between his arms.

" _Darunia! Please!_ " Link gasped.

Darunia laughed. "Sorry brother! But it's been so long!"

The Gorons eyes widened. "Oh! You're the Hylian Link."

"Yes!" Darunia chortled. "What other Hylian is this green?"

The Goron rubbed his head sheepishly. "Sorry for trying to scare you, Brother."

"Darunia…" Link wheezed. "I can't… Can't…"

"Right, sorry." Darunia let the young boy who, thankfully, had all his ribs intact.

"Thank you… Darunia." He waved his arm in the general direction of Impa. "She… She needs… medicine. Now."

Darunia knelt down by Impa. After a moment of poking and prodding, he walked back into his cave and came out with white flowers, a strange root and a bucket of water. He crushed the plants in his hand and guided the liquid into Impas mouth. After a moment, he grabbed the bucket, grinned, and emptied it onto Impa, shocking her awake, who drew her knife and swung it wildly.

Darunia cackled. "Hello there, Sheikah!"

Impa wiped the water from her eyes. "Darunia? What's going on?" She turned to Link and frowned. "What? Link?"

Link sighed in relief. "We're in Goron City. You teleported us here."

Realisation dawned on her face. "Ah. I remember now. What happened to me?" She frowned at her knees, which were indeed scratched and dirty. "You had to drag me?"

Darunia helped her up. "You over exerted yourself. Made your brain pop like a plugged volcano."

"Right." Impa was shaky, but managed to stand up by herself.

Darunia turned to Link. "Now Brother! It's been too long since we've seen you. We saw your brother earlier today."

"My brother?"

Impa cut in. "I'm afraid we haven't the time to chat."

Link nodded. "Yeah, you're right." He turned to Darunia. "We need to use the tunnel to the forrest. It's urgent."

"That tunnel that goes nowhere?" Darunia frowned. "I don't see how that could help you, but then again, you walked out of it one time." He shrugged. "That was very creepy. Anyway!" He picked up Impa, ignoring her protests, and headed for the tunnel. "I'll get the boulders out of the way for you."

* * *

Darunia grunted as he shoved the massive rock out of the tunnels entrance. The passage before them was long and dark, and a cool breeze flowed from within.

"I don't know what you're doing Brother," Darunia spoke softly. "But if you need help with whatever it is, I will gladly aid you."

Link smiled. You're helping us now."

"No, no." Darunia chuckled. "I can go with you, down this tunnel. You might need me to crush some skulls!"

"No." Impa said a little to quickly.

Darunia frowned. "Why not?"

Impa silently cursed her haste, but remained composed. "Where we are going is not a place for Gorons. Besides, your people may need you."

Darunia snorted. "Eh, they'll do fine without me."

Link cleared his throat. "Impa, we might need him."

Impa looked at the boy and shook her head. "Where we are going is incredibly dangerous. I won't be responsible for the Gorons losing their chieftain."

"Is this about me carrying you?" Darunia interjected.

"No," Impa growled. "But I could have walked here myself, _thank you very much_."

Darunia shrugged. "Oh well. If I can't help you, then you guys should get going." He grabbed a torch off the wall and handed it to Impa. "And you were too weak to walk here."

Before Impa could respond, Link jumped in. "Thank you Darunia. I'll see you again soon."

Darunia grinned and ruffled the boys hair. "I hold you to that promise Brother."

Link grinned and put his cap back on his head. With a final wave, he followed Impa into the gloom. Darunia watched until the light from their torch faded away in the distance before resealing the tunnel, leaving a small gab that the small boy could crawl through should he return.

* * *

 **HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY CREATION!**

 ***kazoo***

 **To think, I started this a year ago. In just a year, over 6,200 people have tuned in to read something that I wrote. That feels... magical. Thank you to the 33 people that read it a year ago today. If not for you guys, my confidence would have shattered there and then. But you guys did read it, and because of that, there are now 21 chapters in what is actually a thought through story. When I first wrote this when I was, I don't know, 14, it was shit. It was going no where. Now? I have a plan.**

 **Special thanks to** KDRDEADMAN **and** Karochi, **the first people to review, favourite and follow this story. You guys gave me the confidence to go beyond the initial blast. Thank you.**

 **Now enough mushy crap.**

 **One of the driving factors of Links choice between Lon Lon or the Kokiri came from an analysis video about "Man of Steel." Now, I am not a personal fan of the movie, but thats beside the point. The video stated that, due to none of Supes choices having any** **consequences, that nothing is important, that the ol' red capped hero isn't changed in any way throughout the movie. I believe the term used was "Static." If I find the video, I'll link (heh) it.** **Basically, I want Link to evolve. And not like Diglett to Dugtrio, where its just more of the same. I want Link to be shaped by what he does. Fingers crossed I succeed in that ($5 says I don't).**

 **I've had another grievance with this story, but this time it's my fault. Its about geography I'm creating. Like, how far away from Castle Town is Kakariko? And how far is Death Mountain from there? And What about Lon Lon Ranch? And where does Zora's Domain fit into all this? I'm still sorting this out myself, but I feel I made the locations feel too close together. I'm not sure how I'll fix this problem, I will try.**

 **Finally, some of you may have noticed that the former "Captain Hargrave" is now "Captain Graves." Allow me to explain myself. The captain started out as a shout out to the man that got me into the Zelda series, the one and only PeanutButterGamer. I wanted to just show my respect for him, I guess. But as I kept writing, I felt the character was veering too far from a friendly reference to PBG, and into something that wasn't accurate to the real person. The thing that made me think about it this much was having him swear. It felt sacrilegious. Having them share a name felt like an invasion of privacy. So, the references are less on the nose. PBG will still shape this character, but Captain Graves will be his own character more than ever.**

 **Anyway, that's it from me.**

 **Thank you.**


	22. Chapter 22 - Smoke and Mirrors

Link watched his shadows dance in the torchlight. The stone walls were smooth, carved by a long evaporated river. Despite being a part of Death Mountain, the air was quite cool. Every now and again, Impa would steady herself against the walls before moving on without a word.

After ten minutes of walking, Impa looked at Link. "Will we be walking all the way to the forest?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure how to describe it. The Lost Woods are… alive, in a way, like a massive plant. It has roots. If the Woods let you, you can move through them."

"So this is a root?" She muttered, looking around her.

"No. This is just a cave that had something that made the Woods decide to link with it."

"I think I understand."

A moment of silence passed between them.

"Link?"

He tilted his head. "What is it Impa?"

"I feel the need to apologise."

Link turned to her quizzical. "What?"

"For my… outburst."

"Oh." Link looked away. "It's fine. You're right, I should have stayed."

"Well, I agree. But I must apologise for the way I turned my anger on you." She looked down. "I never meant to make you cry."

Link remained silent.

"I will concede, you did the right thing. You saved lives. But I cannot allow your defiance to be unchecked, or unpunished." She looked at the boy. "But know this. I will put more faith in your judgement from now on."

Link looked at the walls around him. "We'll be there soon."

Impa frowned. "How can you tell?"

Link pointed at the walls, and Impa brought the torch closer. Vines and roots clung to the stone, and droplets of water seemed to build up around them.

"When we cross over, you need to stay close. Don't want you turning into a Stalfos on me."

Impa nodded, and they pressed on. The vines grew thicker and greener, and the tunnel was filled with smell of morning dew. After a couple more minutes, the torch went out, leaving them surrounded by darkness.

"Blasted thing." Impa muttered, trying to reignite it.

"No need." Link reached out ahead of him and pulled away a curtain of vines. "We're here."

* * *

Impa assessed her surroundings, soaking in the strange environment. Trees taller than she had ever seen surrounded them, with sunlight barely filtering through mess of branches and leave. I thin fog hung over the area, hiding the forms of distant figures. The grass around them way chaotic and untamed, with droplets of water clinging to their blades.

Impa turned to the tunnel they had emerged from. Rather than an entrance to a cave, there stood a weathered stone gateway, with vines and grasses growing off it.

Link stepped forward and took in a deep breath of the forest air. No matter where he went, the air always tasted best in the Lost Woods. It reminded him of playing hide and seek with Saria and the others.

He reached down and tore a clump of grass and held it up, watching how the wind made it fly. Satisfied, he turned to his left and took a few steps forward, peering through the gloom.

"What are you looking for?" Impa asked, intrigued.

"A big oak." Link muttered. "We walk to it, then over to an small elm. Well, small for the Lost Woods."

"And from there?"

"you stay close to me."

Impa raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me there's more to navigating the forest than just stumbling around?"

Link Ignored her. "There." He pointed to a thick trunked tree with low hanging branches.

"Right." Impa started forward only for Link to stop her.

"You should probably hold my hand." He muttered. "I don't think I could find you if I lost you."

Begrudgingly, Impa complied. With the Sheikahs hand in his, Link led Impa through the gloom. Impa felt the cool air against her skin, sending shivers down her spine. As they got closer to the oak, the true appearance of the tree became apparent. The branches twisting and curling like the limbs on a dried out corpse. Link only let go of her hand when they were at the base of the tree.

"Which direction now?" She asked.

Link pressed his sword hand against the trunk. He said "Follow me." and began circling the tree. Confused, Impa followed. They circled the tree several times, with Link keeping his eyes glued to the distance.

Eventually, Impas patience wore thin. "Link. We have been going nowhere for too long now. What direction did we come from?"

"I don't know." He admitted.

"Then how can you find you way?"

"You get lost." Suddenly, Link stopped. "There. You see that tree?" He pointed out to the fog. "The thin one. Looks like a funny mushroom."

Impa frowned. "you mean that one?" Link nodded. "That looks like a cone."

Link shook his head. "Forget it." He held out his hand, and Impa took it, and he led them forwards once again. When they reached the tree, Link told Impa to sit down and began patrolling the tree, arm outstretched into the fog.

Impa watched him, fascinated. He seemed to be probing the fog, testing it, as if trying to find a rock hidden under muddy water. She was tempted to ask him what he was trying to find, but thought better then to distract him.

Eventually, he let his arm fall to his side. "This way." Impa stood up and rejoined him as they walked forward.

They walked for some time, and every now and again Link would shoot their path slightly. Though Impa trusted Link, she felt as though he was leading them astray, but kept her mouth shut.

They walked for some time, each step making Impa feel more uneasy. Eventually, she reached her breaking point and jerked her hand out of Links.

"What are you doing?" The boy hissed.

"We've been going this way for ages now, yet still we are nowhere!"

Link grabbed her hand back. "You said you trusted me. You said that you thought I could get us through the Woods."

"This is the wrong direction!" Impa snapped back. "I can feel it."

Link rolled his eyes. "That means we're going the right way." Impa frowned, confused, so he continued. "The Woods want you to get lost. I said it was sort of living-ish… thing."

"Sentient, you mean?"

"Yeah! Mind of its own, kinda."

"Meaning?"

"That it makes any way you go feel the wrong way, and the way you want to going feels the wrongest. That's way I was waving my hand around in the fog."

Impa nodded, understanding. "I… see. Forgive me for doubting you."

Link waved his hand in dismissal. "Forget it. I should have told you before." He turned back to the way they were headed. "We just need to walk a bit more. Come-" He froze in place, and sniffed the air. "Do you smell that?"

Impa rose her nose and inhaled. "Smoke."

Link snatched her hand and ran ahead. Dragging Impa behind him, Link was consumed with panic. Smoke meant fire, and fire in a forest was disastrous.

He ran, following the uneasiness in his gut as the fog grew dark and warm, past the flames until the feeling of displacement was consumed by smoke.

Impa covered her mouth. "We're close to where it began."

Link coughed. "There's so much…"

The Sheikah turned to him. "Which way now?"

He looked around, trying to find a landmark. His eyes settled on a dead tree with a single branch, with a target hanging from it, and pointed in the opposite direction. "That way."

Impa picked him up and put him on her back. "Cover your mouth and nose with your hat." Link complied, and she carried him through the black air. Every step stung at their eyes, so much so that Link struggled to see the passage into the Kokiri Forest. He shook Impas shoulders and pointed her towards the small passage. With a curt nod, Impa marched through the smoke and flames until both subsided and the home of the Kokiri was revealed.

Impa knelt down coughed violently, cleaning her lungs, and Link climbed off her and looked over his home.

He looked over the carnage. The Destruction.

The dead bodies.

Link ignored Impa's pleas to wait and charged down the hill, his eyes stinging from more than just smoke.

* * *

 **Holy crap, right?**

 **Yeah, this is a bit edgy. Sorry about that. Trust me. The next chapter is gonna make me seem evil.**

 **I hope you guys don't hate the way I made the Lost Woods to be an entity to itself. I dunno, I'm trying to make it** **vague for you guys.**

 **Don't expect much more for a little while. I'm way behind on school work and it's terrifying. I need to focus on that. Upmost priority. Scary school crap.**

 **See you guys then.**

 **Oh, nearly a year since I got BOTW. That was a good name. So until then, Happy St Patricks day.**


	23. Chapter 23 - Red Stains

Ruined. That was the only was to describe it.

His home was ruined.

The tree that had he had lived in his whole life was wreathed in flames, with many other tree top homes toppled. Ash fell from above, like hellish rain. The once clear air and sky that Link had so much nostalgia towards was dirty, clouded with black smoke. The ground was upturned by roots sprouting from the ground, many of which were burnt. The village would have been silent is not for the crackle of flames.

But that wasn't the worst.

Their were corpses sprawled all around the place.

Corpses of children.

Corpses if people he knew.

Corpses of his friends.

Link ran to the nearest body and fell to his knees nest to it. They were on their back, with a large hole in their chest, his shirt sticky with blood. His nose was broken, with a dirty footprint over their face. Other than that, they looked peaceful in death. But it was obvious that it hadn't been painless.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, he saw a small, crushed figure, in a pool of their own blood. The Kokiris fairy. Lifeless and colourless, it would be impossible to know what it was if not for the wings, the only part of the guardian that hadn't been crushed under a thousand feet.

Link felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see Impa, who was silent but still sorrowful.

"It's all my fault." He sobbed.

Impa shook her head. "No. It isn't."

"Yes. It is." He looked at the dead Kokiri. "I made a decision that killed them. You said that's what, right?"

Impa looked away. "Come. There must be survivors." Link didn't move. "Link, please."

Slowly, Link stood up and moved towards the other bodies. He barely registered what was happening, numbly moving from body to body. Some were disembowelled, others were burned away, and some were little more than red smears, trampled into the ground.

Impa was more thorough, checking their vitals of those that could still be alive.

Link kneeled down and, gently, picked something off the ground. Impa, seeing this, walked over to him. "What is it?" She looked over his shoulder, only to see what was in his hand and recoil in shock. "What in the name of-?!" She took a deep breath. "Is that a… a fairy?"

Link nodded.

Impa shook her head. She had never seen a dead fairy. Hell, she didn't think it was possible for the to leave corpses behind when they died. She bent down to get a closer look.

Even in the hands of a child, the fairies body was small, about an inch in total, with their wings twice as long as the body. It looked like a young girl, with short hair and wearing a dress. Without the glow of life, her skin was grey, pale enough for Impa to see her motionless heart and fragile bones.

"Hylia above…" Impa hissed. "This is… horrifying." She turned to Link. "How? How did this happen?"

Link numbly shook his head. "Kokiri and Fairies are linked. Share a life force. If a Kokiri dies, their fairy can't live without them." He closed his eyes, fighting back tears. "Their life is blown out like a candle."

Link wiped his eyes with his free hand and let out a shuddering breath. Impa looked once more at the fairy, and thought. "No light means no fairy… but light means there is one."

Link looked up, confused. "What?"

Impa ignored him, scanning the area, her eyes passing over every inch of village. "There!" She pointed towards the stream. "I see a light. Blue, but faint."

Link short up, hope in his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"It's hard to tell with the smoke, but I definitely saw a light."

Link carefully place the fairy back on the ground before bolting towards the stream, with Impa by his side. Sure enough, bobbing wearing in the air was a fairy. Link ran over to it and cupped his hands underneath, to which the exhausted fairy gratefully collapsed into.

"Alive!" Link said joyously. "Someone's alive!"

Impa placed a hand on his shoulder. "Can they take us to the survivor?"

Link nodded. "Right." He looked to the fairy. "Can you fly?" Seemingly without a word, Link got his response. "Please, take us to your Kokiri."

Weakly, the fairy rose out of his hand and floated towards a limp body next to the stream.

Link ran up and gasped. " _Mido_?"

"A friend?"

"Kinda." Link muttered.

Mido had seen better days. His chin had a nasty cut, and his right eye was bruised shut. His tunic was torn up, his cap sitting next to him, and he had lost one of his shoes, with the foot crushed. In his right hand, he held a broken and bloody deku stick.

"We have to move him." Link muttered. "Take him to the Great Deku Tree."

Impa nodded. "Don't worry, I can easily carry him, but I have no way to ease his pain."

"It's fine. He's alive. That's all I care about."

Impa carefully reached down and picked up the boy, who cried out in pain.

"Wha?" He groaned, still half unconscious. "Dian? Where are you? I can't… it hurts…" He collapsed, falling once more into unconsciousness.

Link picked the cap off the ground, offering it to the fairy, who gladly flew into the small, hidden pocket, before Link placed it on Midos head.

With the boy firmly held in her arms, she looked around. "Are there any more?"

Link spun around, searching. "I don't think so… but there has to be, right?"

Impa was quiet. "Let's get this boy to safety first, then we can think about others."

With that, they moved through the burning wreckage of the village, avoiding the harsher flames. It seemed that the worst of the blaze has passed, as the smoke was beginning to clear. Link could see most of the village clearly now.

"Wait!"

Impa froze. "What is it? A threat?"

"I saw…" He squinted. "Yes! Over there! I see another fairy!"

"Link, wait!" But it was too late. Link was already running towards the flickering light. Growling in frustration, the Sheikah chased after him.

When he arrived at the light, Link punched the air. "I told you! I told you I saw another one!"

Sure enough, hiding in a bush was a Kokiri covered in dirt and soot.

"Link?" The young boy trembled.

"Yes, It's me." Link grinned. "We're here to save you."

Impa glared at Link. his recklessness had strayed them from the plan. This intimidating nature made the kokiri boy whimper and his fairy buzz nervously.

"Hey, hey, it's fine!" Link held out his hand. "Can you walk?"

The boy took his hand and nodded. "I think I banged my knee on a rock."

Link slung his sword arm around the boy. "Don't worry, I've got you."

Impa glanced around. "We have to hurry. Get these two to the Guardian, then we plan from there." She turned her gaze to Link. "No distractions."

"Got it."

She knelt down next to the kokiri boy. "We'll take too long with hobbling around. Get on my back." The boy hesitated. "Hurry. I can carry both you and this one." After a moment, he climbed onto the Sheikahs back. "Lets move."

The returned the way they came, with Impa only slightly slowed. Though she could probably carry another two children, she couldn't fight like this without dropping one of them. She didn't like feeling exposed, without a way to retaliate. All the more reason to move swiftly.

There was a sound behind them.

Link stopped, and Impa scowled. They weren't going to take another detour, no matter what he said. She went to refuse him, only to find that he wasn't looking around.

He was frozen.

The noise was getting louder, and Impa turned to where she thought it was coming from, but the smoke hid whatever the source was.

It was easier to hear the noise now. It was footsteps, heavy ones. Impa shifted her balance, ready to move in an instant. "What's that noise, Link? Some beast?"

Link didn't answer. He found the strength to move, looking behind him.

Impa saw it now. A form in the smoke. Human. There was something else she could hear. Clinking. Impa stepped between them and Link.

Slowly, the figure emerged from the smoke.

The Swordsman.

* * *

 **Fuck.**

 **I forgot to do an April Fools day post. Damnit. I'm a** **failure. Forgive me.**

 **Sorry for taking so long with this. I just had no motivation. I've been failing maths, and my mum has been tearing apart. Guess that made my mind has been taxed too much by this crap. I want to be able to post more than one chapter per month, but I don't know if I can do that. Sorry guy.**

 **BTW, Midos fairy, Dian, is another pun. Guardian! Right? _Right?_ I know, I'm sorry.**

 **One of my biggest fears with this thing is making is making the made up character seem too important. I want to create a world for people to be drawn into, one that people can believe happen between OoT and TP, while keeping the characters we all love in the spotlight. I think I've done a good job so far, but I dunno, could fail at any moment.**

 **Anyway, see ya. Hope I'm keeping you on your toes.**


	24. Chapter 24 - Something Wicked

Time seemed to stand still. Nobody moved. Impa ran through the possibilities in her head, none of them good. The sound of the Swordsman's heavy breath drummed on rhythmically.

A second passed.

Suddenly, Link let out a guttural scream, a howl of emotions built up over the course of a single day, and hurled his shield at the Swordsman. It was a sound of rage, fear, sorrow, guilt, and hate. The shield flew a few meters before clattering at the Swordsman's feet. Slowly, he looked down at the shield, before lifting his eyes to meet Links gaze.

Link stood still, his hands shaking with both fear and rage. tears built up in his eyes, but he refused to blink. His hands were trembling. He wasn't thinking straight.

"Why?"

A single question, aimed at the thing that had caused so much death. He didn't expect anything, but he needed to ask. He needed to know. Nothing made sense. It couldn't make sense. Why would any being do this?

All the swordsman did was tilt his head. The light of the flames seemed to be swallowed by the darkness of his armour.

Link scowled, furious. "Why would you do this?!"

Silence.

"Why?"

Link blinked.

"You ask me 'why?'" The Swordsman spoke quietly, just loud enough for Link to hear, their words echoing slightly behind the mask. Their voice was harsh and raspy, like steel scraping against steel, accentuated by the jaw of their mask scraping against the face.

They were stunned. This person, this _murderer_ , was talking so casually, so calmly. They sounded _bored_.

A cough. "Why would I do… what?"

Link's clenched his knuckles, anger building. "Why would you-" He shook his head. " _How_ could you kill them?" Link's breath shuddered. "How could you?! What have they done to you?!"

"They've done nothing." The Swordsman croaked.

"Then why!?" Link screamed. "They're children!"

For a moment, the Swordsman seemed to mull over the question, before answering. "You're a child. I intend to kill you." They shrugged. "It brought you out, didn't it?"

"You're scum." Impa growled.

The Swordsman jerked his head and glared at her. "Silence. _You_ don't talk."

Impa scoffed. "You think you command me? You can barely stand."

Now that she said it, Link saw what she meant. The Swordsman seemed to shake, off balance, his arms hanging limply by his side, and the every breath began with a wheeze.

"Tell me," Impa scowled, "Why I shouldn't kill you now?"

"You want it more." The Swordsman turned to face Link. "Don't you, child?"

"Link, no." Impa warned. "Weak or not, he is dangerous."

"Come now. Don't you want to plunge that sword into my heart? Be a hero?"

"Link is no fool."

"Like you?" The Swordsman hissed. "What good dog abandons their master? Without you, I imagine the Princess is quiet… _vulnerable_."

Impa was swift. In an instant, her knife flew from her hand, aimed directly towards the Swordsman's exposed eye. Surprised but vigilant, the Swordsman twisted out of the way, the sudden movement throwing him to the ground, drawing out an angry grunt.

As soon as he touched the ground, roots erupted from the ground, quickly wrapping around the Swordsman and dragging him into the ground. From the smoke, as squad of Moblins charged forwards to free their master, seemingly from the smoke itself. Around them, Deku Babas surged out of the ground, assaulting the stronger beasts.

"To the Guardian, now!" Impa ordered, turning to race through the passage behind them. After one last look to the Swordsman, who was now clawing at the roots with only his head and arms out of the ground, Link chased after her.

The moblins desperately tried to keep their master from being buried, but to no avail, and within a few seconds, there was no trace of the Swordsman.

Silence. The moblins felt no voice in their heads.

The ground shook, and the deku babas dried up across the field. Suddenly, the ground where the Swordsman had been dragged down exploded with dark energy, spraying dirt and withered plant life across the immediate area. The Swordsman climbed out of the crater and fell to one knee.

After a taking a moment to focus, he stood up and walked towards where the boy and the sheikah had stood, stopping just before it. He reached out a shaking hand, only to be repelled, sending him stumbling backwards. A green dome rippled into existence over the titanic tree and it's meadow. As quickly as it had appeared, the barrier faded away from sight.

The Swordsman growled, and forced his will on the monsters once more. Without hesitation, the moblins began probing the barrier, looking for some weakness, while the Swordsman kneeled down, regaining his strength.

* * *

Link and Impa came out of the passage and were immediately struck by how clean the air felt. It was free of smoke and blood, and was how the Kokiri forest was meant to be. At the centre of the meadow, standing proud, was the gargantuan guardian of the forest, the Great Deku Tree, and at his roots cowered dozens of children in green.

Link held his breath. Even after so long, whenever he stood in this meadow, all he could think of was the Deku Tree, grey and lifeless. His first real failure.

"Ah," The wooden face of the Deku Tree crinkled into a warm smile. "Link. Welcome home." He lived, and still, he protected.

Link ran down the hill, half laughing, half crying, and didn't stop until he was right in front of the tree.

"Link." The Deku Tree spoke softly. "Do not worry. We are safe."

"But all the others…" Link began.

"There is nothing we can do for them now. Life is fleeting." Even though his words were firm, they were weighed down by sadness.

"It's my fault." Link muttered.

"Hush." A root reached out and wiped away his tears. "You do not know what you say."

"I knew he would attack. I thought you could-"

"Link, this beings power is something ancient. They shrouded the monsters from my vision until it was too late. You could not have know what would happen."

"I was selfish."

The Deku Tree chuckled. "Everyone is selfish. Please," The Guardian begged, "Do not let the lives lost weigh on your soul. The duty was, and is, mine."

Link shook his head. "I'm sorry. can't do that."

The Deku Tree closed his eyes. "I know. But maybe, in time."

Impa walked over slowly, not wanting to appear hostile. She felt every eye of the Kokiri on her, fearful eyes. "Great Guardian." She said, bowing slightly. "It's an honour."

The Deku Tree chuckled. "There is no need for that. We both carry the will of the goddesses with us."

Impa smiled slightly. "In a way." She handed Mido over to outreaching roots, which carried him towards the other Kokiri.

The Deku Tree suddenly shuddered, shaking lose many leaves. At the same time, the barrier above them rippled once more, becoming thinner. The Kokiri cried out in fear, panicking.

Link rushed forwards to reassure them. "No, it's ok!" He turned to the Guardian. "Right, Great Deku Tree?"

The Guardian of the Forest groaned. "The barrier is waining. Such dark power will eventually overwhelm my ancient light."

Impa stepped forward. "How long will it hold?"

"I can not tell for sure, but at this rate, I can hold for a half-hour."

Impa considered cursing, but with so many children around, decided against it. "I could protect the entrance, but I have no weapon, and I have tired myself out."

"If I were to provide a weapon and ease your exhaustion, you would fight?"

"I would."

The Deku Tree nodded. "Then it is done."

The ground in front of Impa began to churn. Slowly a metal blade emerged from the ground, which was picked up by a thin root which stood out of the ground, forming a spear, with a small, green fruit next to it.

"This is your weapon."

Impa stepped forward and looked at the weapon. It was taller than she was, with the body being intricately woven wood as think as her wrist. She took it in one hand and, with some resistance, tore it out of the ground. While not her weapon of choice, it felt natural in her hand. Satisfied, she knelt down and picked up the plant and bowed her head to the Great Deku Tree.

"Thank you."

"Please." The Deku Tree pleaded. "Protect my children."

"I will do everything in my power." With that, she ran into the smoke, to protect the passageway.

The Deku Tree closed his eyes, feeling some calm wash over him.

" _Wait_."

The Deku Tree opened their eyes. He looked down to see Link carelessly elbowing through the children, becoming wilder and wilder.

"Wait, wait, wait-wait-wait. Where is she?" He looked up at the Deku Tree with eyes filled with fear. "Where is Saria?"

* * *

 **Well? What do you think?**

 **I didn't know how to make the Deku Tree talk. I was thinking about making him speak with "thee" and "thou" but I can no idea how to do it right. Besides, no one will hate me if I don't, right? I don't even remember if he speaks like that in the game.**

 **Ah, geez.**

 **I feel so drained.**

 **I feel like I potentially ruined the Swordsman. Talking? What the hell, right? Please bare with me. I** **had a plan in my brain.**

 **The ending of this chapter feels lazy. I'm driving myself insane.**

 **Welp, enjoy.**

 **You know the hardest part of this chapter? Naming it.**


	25. Chapter 25 - Always Cruel

Impa took one last breath of the clean air before stepping into the smoke. Instantly, she felt her eyes sting. Blinking the tears from her eyes, she planted her new spear, blade first, into the ground, and knelt down, slowing her breath. The children were relying on her. She took the fruit in her hand and peeled away the skin. Somehow, the citric smell managed to find her nose through all the ash. She bit into it, tasting the acidity, surprised by how, in that instant, she felt a rush of energy course through her. She had never seen this fruit before, and it seemed completely alien to her, yet it did its job. She felt reinvigorated, refreshed.

Once she finished the fruit, Impa place the skin on the ground and closed her eyes, entering a meditative state. The time would come soon, and she was going to give herself every advantage she could get.

* * *

The world became a void around her, with her only reality being that of her mind.

"Where is she?!"

Link stared up at the Great Deku Tree, his mind blank. He couldn't think straight.

"Link." The Deku Tree spoke softly, trying to calm the boy. "Please listen-"

"Why isn't she here?!" Link cried out. "Why didn't you protect her?!"

"She was beyond my reach." He explained. "By the time they revealed themselves, I had to protect those within the village."

Link shook his head, stammering. "How- h-how did this happen."

"I sensed no danger. I allowed my children to do as they pleased." Link stumbled to the ground, too afraid to stand. The Deku Tree's face softened. "Do not fear, Link. She is alive, and unharmed."

Link instantly perked up. "She is?" His mind raced. "How do you know?"

"I still feel Esco. The fairies energy is unwavering…" The Guardian trailed off.

"Great Deku Tree?" Link blinked. "What is it? What aren't you telling me?"

"Link-"

"Please." Begged the Hero of Time.

After a moment of hesitation, the Deku Tree submitted. "Esco is afraid. She feels no pain, but I sense panic."

Link's eyes widened. "Saria's in danger." He stood up quickly. "Where is she? I can find her, get her here safely!"

"Link, it is too-"

"I don't care!" Link cried out franticly. "Saria is in danger, I need to help her!"

"Saria..?" Link spun to Mido, who was beginning to stir. "Where…"

"Mido," Link walked over to him. "Don't push yourself. You've been hurt badly."

He squinted, struggling to open his eyes. "Link? What are you… doing here?"

"I'm here to help." Link muttered. _Like I always do._ "Mido, do you know where Saria is?"

Mido whined in pain. "Lost Woods… she was chasing me through the lost woods, and I saw the monsters… I had to… warn everyone."

Link's voice was cold. "You left her? When you _knew_ there was danger?!"

Mido whimpered. "I was scared…"

"Link." The Deku Tree interjected sternly. "If not for Mido, many more would have been lost."

Link closed his eyes and clenched his fist, just seething for a moment. "Ok. Fine, fine. Where did you lose her?"

"Lake…"

"Which one? The big one?"

Despite the pain he was feeling, Mido managed to give an irritated scowl. "No… The one with reeds."

Link ignored the jab, deep in thought. "I can get there, but the only safe entrance to the woods is through the village." He looked up to the Guardian. "Right?" The Deku nodded softly. "There has to be a way…" Slowly, something dawned on his face. "Deku Tree, if you lent me some power, how much time would it take away from the barrier?"

The Guardian was silent for a moment, before finally accepting that nothing would change the mind of the young boy. "What do you require?"

Link fumbled with his belt, pulling out one of his most treasured possessions; a ceramic instrument, coloured a wonderful ivory. The Fairy Ocarina.

The Deku Trees face was unreadable. "I can lend you the power to transport yourself, but you will have no way to return."

Link didn't hesitate, simply holding up the ocarina and saying "Do it."

Slowly, a root sprouted from the ground and reached towards the instrument. The root touched the ocarina, which filled with a brilliant light that seeped into the glassy clay.

Link looked at the ocarina, feeling the warmth of the forest magic in his hand, and looked up to the guardian. "Thank you." He clasped the ocarina in both hands. "I get her back safely. I promise."

"Do you know the song?"

Link nodded, sombre. "I could never forget."

 _The flow of time is always cruel._ Words he would never forget.

He took a calming breath before bringing the instrument to his lips, and began to play a song. The music that floated from the ocarina was cheerful, tinged with the slightest sense of sorrow.

Link played the Minuet of the Forest.

Small flares of green light began to manifest around him, spiralling around his body and breaking it apart into similar energy, which faded into the wind.

"Be safe." The Deku Tree pleaded as Link was swept away.

And, with a smile, Link was dissolved into the air, carried away by the wind.

* * *

The Swordsman stood up.

He surveyed what was in front of him. His army was pointlessly attacking the barrier. All they were doing was wasting their energy. Energy that could be used for… other endeavours. They would never break through.

He would.

The Swordsman strolled over to the barrier, unsheathing his rapier as he did so. Sensing his intent, the monsters around him parted, fearful that they would be the subject of his frustration. But he wasn't frustrated. He was calm. The Swordsman stopped a few meters before the barrier, and took up a stance. With his left arm outstretched forwards, he aimed the blade between his forefinger and thumb, elbow pulled back, ready to stab. At the rapiers point, dark magic manifested, draining the light around him, its very presence promoting the barrier to reveal itself preemptively. The Swordsman tilted his head, almost predatorial, before lunging forward abruptly, piercing the barrier. Only the tip of the blade managed to pass through, but the dark magic began to seep into the barrier, corrupting it. With a sharp twist of the blade, the darkness turned volatile, shattering a large segment of the barrier with explosive force. Shards of energy flew everywhere, tearing at the monsters skin and piercing through their armour, and yet the Swordsman just stood there.

* * *

Impa opened her eyes.

* * *

Once the chaos had died down, the Swordsman fell to one knee, completely spent. He was exhausted, but he wasn't helpless. He could still think, meaning he could still command. Steadying himself with his blade, he rose once more, about to give the order, when he saw something moving in the smoke in front of him.

Impa emerging from the smoke, spear in hand, and stood firm, determined and ready to fight.

The Swordsman growled. "Step. Aside."

Impa slowly raised her head. "None shall pass."

"…What?" Droned the Swordsman, seething.

"None. Shall. Pass." Impa responded, clearly and calmly, refusing to be intimidated.

"I have no quarrel with you, _dog_." He spat. "But I will do what I must to get to that tree."

"Then you will die."

"I command you." He warned, his patience growing thin. " _Stand. Aside_."

"I move for no man or monster."

The Swordsman was silent for a moment, unmoving. Then, he shook his head. "So be it." He turned to his army. "Cut her arms and legs off, and make her watch as I destroy everything she is protecting. And once the princess is nothing more than a blubbering mannequin," He locked eyes with her, "she dies painfully."

Impa didn't have the chance to respond, as the monsters swarmed forward, weapons brandished.

Impa calmly readied her spear.

A Moblin charged forwards, spear aim for her heart. Impa waited until it was close, then hit the weapon with her own and, using her momentum to carry her, swept her leg under the Moblin, throwing it to the ground and quickly stabbing her spear at the base of its skull. A Bokoblin lunged at her, and she darted back, spinning her weapon to club her opponent in the face before slitting its throat with the shaft in one fluid motion. Now, the hoard was upon her, and she shifting into targeting multiple monsters at a time. A Bokoblin swung a claymore at her, which she ducked under and retaliated by stabbing it through the eye and throwing the still screaming monster into a moblin to her left. Another one, armoured completely from the front but leather at the back, began their attack, but Impa was faster, striking its head with hard wood between where her hands were, as if to guard against an attack, and flitting behind them, cutting an opening in its defences and skewering its heart. A moblin tried to grab her, with Impa jabbing her spear through its forearm in defence, and with her free hand, slamming its head into the ground, crushing it. She grabbed a crude knife from its armour and buried it in the skull of a monster that tried to take her from behind. A moblin threw a javelin at her, forcing her to release her other hand on the spear to catch it. A squad of monsters attempted to act on this opportunity, slashing and jabbing at Impa, forcing her deeper into the swarm, yet they never managed to touch her, as the javelin was always there to block their attacks. Not wanting to leave the opening unguarded or lose ground, retaliated, sidestepping a swipe from a bokoblin and shoving the javelin under the ribcage and out by the shoulder, grabbing its cleaver before it could hit the ground and swinging it into the face of another bokoblin and doing the same with it blade. With a blade in each hand, she carved a path back towards her spear, gutting and dismembering all that stood in her way. One foolhardy moblin attempted to behead her, but before it could swipe it's axe, Impa had already buried both blades in its side. Without so much as a grunt, she hurled the monster over her head and slammed into the ground, snapping its neck with a sickening _crunch_.

Another moblin attacked from behind, with Impa attacking instinctually, only for her weapons to bounce off its armour. Momentarily stunned, she barely avoided a stab for her neck. After getting to a safe distance, she assessed her opponent. While it was fully armoured, it appeared to be made of low quality materials, and though her reactionary attack had failed to harm the monster, it had damaged its armour, creating a weakness in the armour. Tightening her grip on the cleaver, she charged forwards, attacking the weak spot relentlessly, damaging the cleaver with each blow while avoiding the attacks of her target and blocking those of the monsters around her with the other blade. The moblin seemed blind to the fact that with each blow, each attack, their armour became more and more compromised, going from a dent to a hole, one that continued to grow. With a mighty slash, she shattered the cleaver against the armour, creating an opening that she needed. Acting quickly, she stabbed the other blade into the moblins knee, darting back to grab the spear and, just as the monster began to recover, lunged forward and drove the weapon through the hole and into its tough flesh, through the heart and lungs until it scraped the armour back of the monster. With a mighty kick, she removed the spear and sent the corpse flying back into the hoard. Cautious but not deterred, the hoard closes in slowly.

Impa brandished her weapon, her blazing red eyes being the thing that conveyed her rage. "Come on then." She hissed.

The hoard started to gain confidence, so Impa took the initiative and charged once more into the fray, to continue the bloodshed.

* * *

 **Hey guy!**

 **Sorry I took so long with this chapter. A combination of exams, stress, food poisoning and lack of motivation can be blamed for this schedule slip. But it's over now!**

 **I was originally going to do the Gandalf thing with Impa (you know what I mean, don't lie), but that's been done to death. So you know what I went with instead?**

 **Monty Python. I'm a genius.**

 **I hoped to show why the Sheikah are so badass in this chapter. Though she didn't use any magic, I focused on the physical power of the Sheikah, and effortlessly fighting a mini army (squadron? Battalion? I dunno) was a good was of proving why a single one can be trusted to protect the heir to the throne. Show don't tell, right? *cough*** **looking at you TLJ** ***cough***

 **A few other things happened. Like E3. Like Smash Ultimate. F*ck yeah. And Ridley.** ** _Fuck yeah!_** **And Devil May Cry 5.**

 ** _FUCK. YEAH._**


	26. Chapter 26 - Sounds of Silence

The Sacred Meadow was still, the grass barely moving. The air was warm, free or the fog that obscured the Lost Woods, drenched in the late afternoon sunlight. It was calm, as it always was.

I breeze moved the grass outside the old temple, and the old stone pedestal began to collect stray particles of light, particles that fused together, taking form, until Link opened his eyes and the wind faded and the disturbance faded.

Link took in a deep breath. The air filled him with warmth, and with renewed confidence, absorbed his surroundings. The smoke that had choked him moments ago was completely unfound in the meadow. Link often wondered if this was the centre of the Lost Woods, though it was impossible ever find out.

 _The flow of time._

Link looked behind him to the tree that reached up to the old temple, memories stirred. Just looking where he had stood, or rather, where _she_ had stood, caused a wave of melancholy to wash over him. Sheik always had that effect, a calming sadness. A feeling he knew all to well.

Link ran down the steps away from the temple. He needed to find Saria. He had no time for melancholy. He had no idea where to look for Saria, and no plan on how to find her. While he often disregarded proper planning and acted on instinct in the past, he knew when such a strategy, or lack thereof, could only make things worse, and now was one such time.

 _I need help._ He thought. _Maybe I can find Skull Kid to help me look for her. Tatl and Tael too._ He shook his head. Skull Kid liked to stay close to the Kokiri Forest, so they likely far away from the lake in mind. But he didn't abandon the idea. Help. If he could find others willing to search the area with him, then the chances of finding Saria would would be far greater.

 _But who?_

A question with no answer. No Hylians, or any other human races lived this far into the Lost Woods, and the chances of finding another species were even smaller. If only Saria herself could tell him where she was. If she knew he was there, she could do something to help him out. Maybe she could send out Esco, if she was in a really tight spot. Maybe-

 _Wait_.

Fairies. Something about fairies made him think. Why? What about Saria's fairy made him stop? No, just fairies.

Fairies…

He gasped. Of course. The ocarina.

He looked down to the ocarina, still warm from the magic of the Deku Tree. It was created in the same as Saria's personal ocarina, linking them. Back in what was once the future, they could talk to each other, but he couldn't now. Not without a fairy.

 _Then… do you want to talk to me?_

No, without a fairy, he could only resonate with her ocarina. But that would be enough. She would know he was trying to find her. Then, maybe Esco could help him find her. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was all he had. He took in a deep breath and played Saria's Song. He repeated the song again, then placed the ocarina back on his belt. He prayed it was enough. Hopefully Esco would be there to help him. But first, he needed to the lake. Once he got there, he would focus on that issue then.

Link climbed up the ladder, not wanting to navigate through the corridors. It was fast to simply jump over all of them rather than stopping and starting with every turn. He doubted it would remove much more than a minute or two from his time, but every moment that passed was another moment Saria was in danger. He leapt from each stone block, his hat whipping in the wind, and even for the briefest moment, he let a out childish grin, feeling young again, again. He frowned. _I am young._ Time travel is confusing.

He jumped off the final stone block and hit the ground rolling. He looked forwards into the mist of the Lost Woods. Somewhere, in that mist, there was Saria. He sprinted ahead, being devoured entirely by the mist, and silence returned to the meadow, as if it had never been touched.

* * *

Saria was paralysed with fear. Four gargantuan monsters stood over her, their beady eyes glaring at her. She didn't know how they had found her, she had been careful, but the path the army had carved through the forest had left her exposed, and the four stragglers had seen her and given chase. They were inhuman and intelligent, surrounding her and ensuring she couldn't escape, and one had clubbed her on the head. That was where her memories ended, and when she came to, her arms were tied and there was a chain around her neck, held by the biggest and ugliest of the monsters. Her right sleeve had been torn off and her shoulder scratched, and her hair felt sticky where she had been hit. They looked down on her, grunting. She had no idea what they were saying to each other, but she feared the worst.

The moblins were, in fact, arguing over her fate. The one that had clubbed her wanted to eat her, there and then, but another wanted to bring her to the Swordsman, let him decide, and that besides, there wan't enough meat on it for all four of them, to which the first argued that they would just be told to kill it anyway. The third one didn't care, it just wanted to rejoin the rest of the army, but it didn't want to miss out on anything the other three decided on. The one holding her chain, however, thought it best to keep her alive, comparing it to what humans use wolves for. Like a pet, or slave. Teach her to kill for them, serve them, entertain them. While this seemed to sway the indecisive one, the other two remained unconvinced. This, to Saria though, only caused her fear to grow.

"Saria!" A voice whispered in her ear. She jerked her eyes towards the noise, still to afraid to move her body, and saw a faint glow close to her body. Esco huddled closer to her ear. "Your ocarina. Do you hear that?"

Around the waist of the third moblin hung her ocarina, confiscated after she had been knocked out. The was no wind, so there was no way for sound to be produced, yet faintly, barely audible, she heard her song, echoing inside it.

"It's Link!" Esco allowed a tiny amount of hope to creep into her voice. "Who else knows that song?"

Esco was right. He had to be looking for her. The hero coming to save them.

Saria swallowed her fear, and managed a small voice. "Esco. Can you… you please find… Link? Find Link?"

Esco flexed her wings. Her head was throbbing, suffering the same pain as Saria, but she could still fly. "I will. Promise." Saria felt a flutter by her ear, and then Esco was gone, leaving her with the moblins arguing over her fate.

* * *

Link stopped and pulled out the ocarina and once again played Saria's song. Even if Saria didn't have her ocarina, if she heard her song on an ocarina, she would head towards it. Wouldn't she? Perhaps she wouldn't if she thought it was a trap. Maybe if he called out. No, the idea was stupid. It was the only option he had, so he resolved to simply continue on. He placed the ocarina back in it's place and began to run. However, he didn't get far before he froze. He could smell something. There was the faint smell of smoke in the air. He shifted on his heels, trying to pinpoint the direction. Smoke this deep into the forest could only mean the path the army had walked. He was close enough to the lake Mido had mentioned, but the smell of smoke would mean more danger and, with his luck, Saria in the midst of it. He honed in on the direction and began sprinting. Within a couple of minutes, he found himself at the path of the army. The ground had been completely trampled and singed, with several ancient trees uprooted and reduced to embers, with the only reason Link could think to harm such a mature vessel was because they couldn't be bothered to move around it. It made him seethe with anger.

He looked the way the army had headed. It was in the opposite direction from the lake, but any monster's would be closer to the village. He didn't know which way to go. He hissed a curse. After a moment, he growled and turned towards the lake.

"Link!" A small voice called from behind him. He spun around to see a winged ball of light floating towards him.

"Esco!" He sprinted up to her and cupped his hands, to which the fairy gladly settled into. "You're all right! Is Saria safe?"

"No." The Fairy panted. "She's been captured by you moblins."

"Moblins!?" Link bit his tongue. "Is she nearby?"

"Not far."

"And if you can fly," He said as he brought Esco up to his shoulder to sit. "Saria isn't badly hurt. That way?"

"Yeah."

"Hold tight." With Esco guiding the way, they headed deeper into the forest, following the trail of destruction.

* * *

"Just here."

Link slowed down and slinked behind a tree. "Where is she?"

"Just off the trail." Esco explained, pointing "She was running when they got her."

Link crouched down to help hide himself in the grass and moved slowly. It didn't take long for him to hear the grunts and snorts that he could only assume was some form of communication. He looked through the undergrowth to see four moblins huddled together.

Esco shuddered. "That's them. They're around Saria."

Link nodded. He couldn't see her, but Esco was connected to Saria in a way only they could be. If this was where Esco said Saria was, that was where Saria was.

He slinked to a tree near the group and pressed his back against it, looking up into the branches. "Esco," He muttered. "can you fly up there, find some Deku Nuts?" The Fairy rose off his shoulder and shot into the tree, dancing between the thick leaves. Link in turn began to climb the tree, moving carefully as not to create too much noise. He soon reached the crown of the tree, brushing away the small collection of twigs and dry leaves so he wouldn't step on them. Once he was sure he was secure, he moved his gave to Esco, hovering around a small collection of nuts. He reached out and slowly took them from the branch and pocketing them, ending up with just over a dozen. More than enough.

He shifted his footing and looked down on the monsters. Sure enough, there was Saria, chained and terrified. She was a bit beaten up, and there was blood in her hair, but the wounds were only superficial.

But they wouldn't go unpunished.

Link began to strategise. He doubted he could take all four moblins, especially not without his shield, but he could take half of them, that he was sure of. He took a Deku Nut in his right hand and aimed at a hollow tree. Readjusting his positioning, he steadied his arm, and took a deep breath, then hurled the Deku Nut into the husk of the tree, the sound of the nut going off echoing off the wood. The Moblins spun to the sound, weapons ready. Link took another Deku nut and, aiming beyond the hollow tree, threw it as hard as he could. With another flash and bang, the moblins were certain the was something there, with two of them breaking away to investigate, leaving the one holding Saria's chain and one with a club. As the separated, Link unsheathed his sword and grabbed three Deku Nuts in his free hand. He threw one more to draw the moblins as far away as possible and once, they had faded from sight, curled his body, ready to act. He took a deep breath, exhaled, shielded his eyes, and threw the Deku Nut to the ground. The flash caught the moblins of guard, with the one holding Saria's chain recoiling, stumbling towards the tree.

Link pounced.

He landed on the back of the moblin, stabbing it the neck, the surprise of the attack causing the monster to lose its grip on its spear and the chain as it blindly tried to grab at Link, but he was too fast, jumping off its shoulders and withdrawing his sword in once movement, and landing behind it. As soon as he hit the ground, Link lunged forwards, stabbing the moblin in the back, his sword deep. The moblin made a swipe at him, but he easily ducked under it, making a cut on the arm before darting between it's legs, slicing it's calves, toppling it. The other moblin began to recover it's sight, making a charge at him. Link turned quickly and threw the third deku nut right at it's face, the flash of light burning the monsters eyes, making it howl in pain, and though it's swing still managed to dislodge Link's cap, it missed him entirely. The wounded moblin had begun to recover its sight, too, and though it's legs were useless, it's arms were still strong. Using them, it barrelled towards Link, and while Link darted away from it, it managed to get close enough to take a punch at him. Unable to dodge out of the way, Link tried to brace for the attack with his sword, yet to little effect, the blow sending him to the ground, yet his sword had cut deep into the moblins hand, the pain distracting it long enough for him to recover. Getting to his feet, he charged at the moblin, which did the same, and just as the got close, he jumped over the monster and landed on its back, and with a wolf like howl, he drove the sword under the base of the moblins skull and into it's spine, before slashing the sword out, killing it. He turned to the other moblin, now with it's right eye completely blinded, and very angry. He moblin glared at him, but his attention was drawn to it's club, his eyes to Saria's head. Link snarled, taking his sword in both hands and charging. The moblin swung its club upwards, and link darted right, slashing at it's leg. While it didn't cripple it, the wound drew a guttural bellow from the monster as it took another swing at Link, which he easily dodged. He kept in it's blind spot, taking small jabs at the monster, always out of reach. The moblin jumped out of Links range and, with him its sight, threw its club at him before picking up it's fallen comrades spear. The club clipped link on the shoulder but he drove forwards, the moblin keeping him at a distance with jabs from the spear. While the jabs were slow, just one would be enough to take him out of the fight, making himself _really_ wish he hadn't thrown his shield away. Link shifted his weight from foot to foot, keeping himself ready to move, waiting for an opening as he darted and deflected the attacks. The moment came when the moblin lunged at him, fully committing to the attack. Link twisted beside the attack, letting the target do the hard work, and slashed at the moblins stomach, cutting it open, before dancing around it's gargantuan body. The moblin stumbled, trying to keep its organs inside its body, but Link denied it the chance, skewering it's heart from behind. He withdrew his blade and stepped away from the dying creature. It seemed pitiful, trying to get him as it crawled at him, breathing it last breaths, but he looked at Saria, bloodied and afraid, and coldly slashed at the monsters face before flicking its blood off his sword and turned his back to it, leaving the monster to die in pain.

He picked up his cap and placed it firmly back on his head. He wiped his sword on his tunic, getting the remaining blood off, before sheathing it back on his back. With himself taken care of, he turned to take care of his closest friend.

Esco had already returned to Saria, the fairy pressed against Saria's face quietly. Saria turned to Link and managed a smile. "Knew you'd make it."

Link didn't respond. He stood there for a moment, then ran over and buried her in a hug. "I was so worried." He choked, feeling tears sting at his eyes. "Thank the goddesses you're safe."

Saria smiled and leaned on his shoulder. "Sorry to worry you. I'm fine, really."

Link broke off the hug and looked at her. "Sorry I took so long. It must have been awful."

Saria laughed weakly, fighting back tears of her own. "Yes, I was terrified. I thought they were going to eat me."

"Here." Link spoke softly as he stood up and drew his sword. "Let me get you out of those." He cut her hands free before moving to the first moblin, grabbing the keys off its waist along with Saria's ocarina. He handed her the ocarina and walking behind Saria, unlocking the chain, which fell and hit the ground heavily. "There you go." She turned to him and he smiled. "All better?"

"Better." She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a hug of her own. "You always talked about being a hero, but seeing you like that?" She shook her head. "It was incredible."

He frowned, concerned. "You're taking this all very well."

Esco pouted. "We have gone hunting before, Link."

Saria's eyes, however wavered. "I'm still scared, but I'll be fine." She looked down. "Could you please help me up? I don't think I can stand up myself."

Link knelt down put her arm over his shoulder and help her to her feet. She shaky, and even when he helped her up, she held onto his arm.

Link gave her a worried look. "Can you walk?"

She nodded and smiled. "Mhmm. But I think I might need you to stay up."

Link flashed a smile of his own. "Don't worry about it. I'm here for you." He glance behind him. "We should get out of here before the others come back. Come on."

Clinging to Links arm, Saria took trembling steps with Link leading her towards the Village. Slowly, they faded into the forest. For the time being, they were safe. Saria was safe.

* * *

 **Guess who's back, back again?**

 **What's up? Sorry it took bloody forever for me to update this thing. As you know, I was being a shit friend, and I took a break to try and rectify that. Have I succeeded? Not sure. God I hope so. And a couple of weeks ago, I wanted to get back at this, and gave you an update saying I was back at it.**

 **Then my parents realised I hadn't been a diligent student. I fact, I was outright lazy. So, I got my entertainment technology confiscated and I had to do the work that I was supposed to have done in the first place. So, I couldn't get back at this, so I updated you guys again.**

 **So, how do I make it up to you? Give you guys one of the longer chapters I've written. Hope you like it.**

 **It's hard, trying to write Saria. I want to show her friendship with Link, and I didn't want it to be the same as with Zelda or Malon. With Malon, it's very much they can say anything and they know that it's all in good fun, with Zelda it's a bit more like someone you can always turn to and you can talk about anything. With Saria, it's harder. She's always been there for Link, stands up for him and makes him feel happy. The friend that supports you, makes you feel good about yourself. Maybe. I have no idea. I think I'll aim for the supportive big sister type with her, though not like an actual sister because siblings are evil. If you have a sibling, you know they are evil, and if you are a sibling, you are also evil. I kid, but I'm going to try to write Saria to not tease or make fun of Link. That's just how I see them. Sure, they argue, but that's just a given. If you don't argue with people you like, you relationship is just a formality. Even if it's just the little things you argue about. Hell, they can be the signs of a stronger friendship if you argue about silly minute things that both of you know doesn't really matter. Then again, I don't have many friends.**

 **Anyway, hope I keep you guys satisfied. Please tell me what you think of this chapter or the fiction in general in a review or share it with people that might like it. You have no idea how much it means to me. What can I say? I'm vain.**

 **By the way, I was thinking of creating a tumblr or something in order to communicate with people and advertise my mediocrity, but I'm not sure just yet. I will need the help of you guys later on with something, because I have no idea how to describe something and the something that I can't describe needs to emotionally punch you guy's in the guts. Love you all, really.**

 **ArcaneMadman out!**

* * *

 **Just putting the old updates here, you know, for future reference about my life as a failure.**

* * *

 _ **[Hello everyone. Some bad news.**_

 _ **I am going to being taking my attention away from this story for a little while, until I can better myself. I haven't been the best friend, and while this isn't a result of me being a bad friend, it has distracted me slightly. I need to reshuffle my priorities, and right now, this is not one of them.**_

 _ **This fic will continue, so please don't unfollow or unfavourite (please, there's barely any of you), but there will be a hiatus.**_

 _ **Please understand. I need to do this. I have broken enough promises.**_

 _ **ArcaneMadman.]**_

* * *

 **[ _Sup guy. Remember me?_**

 _ **Just felt I should throw you guys another update. No, I have not forgotten about this fic, and I will be returning to it. I'm thinking about starting up the next chapter, though after such a long time my brain is very GIRUBSVUINREANIONTRSUINUBITU, you know? Yeah, you know what I mean. Anyway, hopefully I'll get it out in November or something, though I truly have no fucking idea if that's realistic.**_

 _ **And another thing. Next year... I doubt there will be many updates for this fic. I'm sorry, entering my final year of school, I gotta focus on not failing everything. This is what my education has been building towards, you know? God, just thinking about it makes me feel stressed. The problem is I'm lazy. I procrastinate and do nothing and switch focus and I'm just a human disaster. We'll see what happens when the moment comes. In the meantime, I'll be seeing you guys in the future.**_

 _ **ArcaneMadman]**_

* * *

 _ **[So, I'm pretty much grounded.**_

 _ **Yeah.**_

 _ **So, I haven't been focusing on my school work enough, and my parents noticed. And by not focusing on my school work, I mean I didn't summarise my notes for 4 out of 6 of my subjects for the whole year.**_

 _ **Yep. Just reaffirming my position as the family disappointment.**_

 _ **Anyway, expect a delay on the next chapter. I know there wasn't much of a set date, but with all of my time for the next couple of weeks being taken up looking at History, English and all the other crap, and considering that it took the whole of today to get to term 2 of 3 for one subject, it'll take every waking moment to get on top of it. Then there's exams.**_

 _ **Yeah, this isn't coming any time soon.]**_


	27. Chapter 27 - Yield

He steadied himself on his sword. Something confused him. Why were they here? The child, he had lured there, but the dog, she was alone. She clearly didn't underestimate his abilities.

So why was she alone?

She may have the upper hand in this situation, allied with the guardian tree and funnelling his forces through the small hole in the barrier, which was smaller and smaller by the moment. But she not unbeatable. If not for the choke point, she would have easily been an armless, legless thing at the mercy of his monsters. She had no way of knowing that the situation would turn out in such a way.

 _Why come alone? Why come at all?_

The Swordsman tilted his head. The was a reason. Something that he didn't understand. A secret. One to everyone but the dog. Something hidden. Even the child wouldn't know. A reason that he had allowed to join her.

He looked over to where the dog was slaughtering his forces. Even behind so many moblins and bokoblins, he could see the spray of inhuman blood and hear the screams of monsters. The barrier was close to closing, and he knew if he tried to puncture it again, he would likely be too exhausted to move, think, perhaps even breath. His plan had failed.

He decided to cut his loses and abandon his escapade. There were factors that he hadn't been able to consider. He growled. He may have been unsuccessful, but he had learned something. The factors, though he didn't know the details, were known. That was enough.

He commanded a large amount of the monsters to break away and swarm around him. As he turned to leave, a hole was torn in his forces, and the dog locked eyes with him. She was bloodied and injured, but her eye's were like an inferno, burning. The Swordsman's eyes met her fire with ice cold fury.

"Do not forget what I said to you." His voice scraped. "For I will not."

This forces swarmed around him, moving quickly back through the path they had entered through. Realising their leader had abandoned them, the remaining monsters began to panic, abandoning their orders for self preservation. Roots began to erupt from the ground once more, coiling around them, engraining themselves in their flesh, punishment for trespassing in the forest.

With the remaining monsters being taken care of, Impa looked behind her. The breach in the barrier was now only large enough for a bokoblin to fit through if they cut off their arms. The Kokiri were safe. As soon as she realised that she had succeeded, a wave of pain washed over her. Her left arm hung limply at her side, various cuts causing her blood to flow down to her fingers, most of which were swollen, and there was a gash across her nose that felt like fire. Her pristine white hair was stained red and hanging off her shoulders, her hair having come undone, and her right breastplate was completely bent out of shape and hanging loosely to her undergarments, and she was sure that a couple of ribs were cracked. She looked down at her body and was revolted to see how she was completely soaked with the blood of those she had killed. She spat at the ground. "Goddesses above," Impa whispered. "please don't let this stain." She shuddered. She had no idea how many she had killed, but she doubted she could kill many more. She could have died.

She looked to where the Swordsman and his squadron had disappeared. She knew that it was unlikely that he would pose much more of a threat to her, but her mind drifted to Link. If his friend was in danger of monsters, than it was likely that they would be on the path the Swordsman was now moving along. She couldn't allow that.

 _His life is more valuable than mine._

Impa adjusted her grip on the spear and began moving forward. Her injuries shifted to the back of her mind, her focus overcoming the pain.

* * *

Link slowly eased Saria's back against a tree, letting her slide to the ground slowly. "There." He muttered. "Take a short break. I shouldn't push you too much."

Saria looked up to him and smiled. "Thank you. But you shouldn't worry to much."

He shook his head. "No, I'm always going to worry about you."

She laughed. "Things really have changed, huh Link?"

He chuckled. "Yeah. Though you never had to protect me from anything like this."

"But I still took care of you." Saria closed her eyes. "Remember the time when you climbed up a tree for the first time? In our meadow, when you went there without me for the first time?"

"A bit." He frowned. "How long ago was it?"

Saria placed a finger to her chin. "Not sure."

"Six years ago." Esco sighed, resting on Saria's head. "You were five years old and had never climbed a tree."

Link tilted his head. "I think I remember why. No one wanted to teach me because I didn't have a fairy."

"I don't remember _that_." Saria sighed. "But I remember hearing you calling out and crying. You were so scared." She glanced at him with a soft smile. "You had no idea how you got up there."

"Come on, I was five."

Saria giggled. "I had to climb up and guide you down."

Esco sighed. "It would have been easier to give him a piggyback and climb down with him."

"He had to get down himself." Saria poked her fairy then looked at Link. "Once you figured out how get down, you wanted to get back up so you could do it yourself."

Link made a face. "Really?"

Esco laughed. "Yep. You liked being up there, but, you know…"

"I couldn't get down." Link nodded. "I've always liked climbing things."

"It's what you would do whenever we played hide and seek." Saria shook her head. "That's why it's so easy for me to find you."

"Hey, would you rather I throw deku nuts and run of like Mido?"

Saria laughed. "No way! You're like a monkey!"

"Saria, you've never seen a monkey."

She pouted. "Yes I have."

"When, Saria?"

"Whenever you play hide and seek with me."

"Hey!" Link shook her in mock anger, laughing with her. He had missed her so much. "You ready to walk?"

Saria nodded. "Yes. Still a little shaky, so I don't think I can't go very fast."

Link offered his hand to Saria, helping her stand. Saria steadied herself and nodded to Link, who lead the way back towards the village.

* * *

The Swordsman was furious. The dog was biting at his heels, following them as they escaped. While he doubted they could kill all of his monsters, he knew that her target was him, and in such a weakened state he would struggle to fight back, even against an injured dog. He ordered two moblins to break away and charge at the dog, to slow her down, but she simply darted past them, leaving them behind to be consumed by the forest. The Swordsman hissed his frustrations, cursing. He couldn't allow the escaped to fail.

 _Why? Why is that bitch so intent on following us?!_

He immediately found his answer. Just off the path, he saw him. The child in green. The world went silent around him, and his mind was consumed by _that child_. The child looked up. The child saw him. He saw the child's fear, their horror, and something more. The Swordsman pulled a knife from his belt and pulled back, the child seeing this action, moving, and the Swordsman threw.

* * *

"It shouldn't be too far now." Link reassured Saria. They had been traveled for a while now, and Saria was looking a lot better. A lot calmer, happier, like the every memory Link had of her. Except for when she was a sage. Her smile was sad then. Link looked at her, wondering if she would ever have to take up such a role again. He knew it was likely pointless, but he gave a silent prayer to the goddesses that something like that would never happen to her.

She noticed his looks. "Are you ok Link?"

He blinked, torn from his thoughts, and gave a convincing smile. "Of course. Just thankful you're all right."

Saria nodded, then looked into Links eyes. "Link, I don't know if I want to know this, but…" She trailed off, struggling to find the words.

"What is it?" Link frowned, concerned.

She took a deep breath. "The village…"

Link's face went blank. "Oh."

"Is everyone… is everyone alright?"

Link couldn't meet her eyes, his guilt like a weight. He thought of lying, but she already knew from his reaction. "No. They took the Great Deku Tree by surprise."

Saria swallowed. "Then they're-"

"Don't." He interrupted. "Just don't, Saria." She didn't need this, especially not while still fragile. "Let's just get to safety."

His ears twitched. He jerked his head around. "Did you hear that?"

"What?"

He tilted his head, listening. "Something's coming." He whispered. "Off the path, now!"

Link grabbed Saria's hand and moved towards the tree line, trying to get her to move quickly, but she stumbled and fell to her knees. Link knelt to help her up when he saw him. The Swordsman, surrounded by monsters. He froze. All he could think about was the Swordsman. He felt panic build in his chest, the urge to freeze up, but he felt something else. Anger, hate, burning at the fear. Even when he locked eyes with the Swordsman, those eyes of rust, he refused to freeze. And when the Swordsman pulled back a knife, Link reacted. He darted to the side, the knife slicing through the air where he had just stood. He gripped his sword, adrenalin coursing through his body. He expected the Swordsman to charge right at him, but they didn't. He simply continued down the path as fast as he could, running away from Link.

The Swordsman noticed something. A pair of moblins moving down the track towards him. The stragglers whose companions had been killed by the child in green. Cowards, that deserved death. But, no, he had a use for them.

"You." He jabbed his fingers at them as he passed. "If you value the relationship between your skulls and spines, you will kill them." He gestured towards Link and Saria, giving them one last baleful glare, then continuing through the forest.

The moblins looked at each other, than at the children. They brandished their weapons.

"Get up." Link breathed. "Now!"

Link jerked Saria up and threw a deku nut at the charging moblins. They flinched, their vision hazy.

"You can't run. Get on my back." Saria nodded, climbing onto Link and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Here." Link said, handing her a few deku nuts. "Don't be afraid to use them." He hooked his arms under her legs and ran, ran as fast as he could. He heard the moblins crashing through the forest behind him, no doubt getting closer, and Saria's breath in his ears. His legs were on fire, but they didn't give in. If they did, it would mean death, so he endured. Saria threw a deku nut behind them, and he heard a moblin cry out in frustration. It would be almost impossible to do much more than blur their vision like this, but they needed every advantage that they could get. He could the fire that was in his legs burning in his chest as well, and his breathing was becoming laboured. He couldn't keep it up. He wasn't strong enough, old enough, to save Saria.

He didn't stop running.

He heard something else, something soft. Footsteps. Fast footsteps. Human footsteps. One of the moblins slowed down to face this new character, leaving only one chasing after them. The one that broke away saw a bloodied, injured woman with defective armour and a spear sprinting at it, and the moblin was amused.

Then Impa closed the distance faster than the moblin though she could, driving the spear into its forearm and slamming into it, driving it back a few feet. Surprised but not beaten, the moblin took its weapon and swung at Impa, who struggled to deflect it. She was badly weakened, and a single wrong move would kill her. Without a word, she prepared to attack.

Link was becoming tired. He was struggling badly now, his whole body burning. He could feel that the other moblin was close, as if it was breathing down his neck. Saria looked behind them to see that the moblin was less than three meters away, with it's spear in reverse grip, preparing to stab down. With a squeak, she threw another deku not, this time right into the moblins eye. The deku nut exploded, and the moblin howled in rage.

Link felt something pierce his back, metal driving inches into his back, his blood being forced out as violently as the action that drew it. He let out a breathless scream. The force of the stab took him off his feet and tumbling to the ground several feet ahed of him, throwing Saria off. The sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath. He rolled onto his side to look at the moblin, failing around, still half blind. He brought his hands to the wound, trying to slow the flow of blood, his hands quickly becoming soaked. He took in several shaky breaths. He was breathing fine, he tasted no blood, and he didn't have the urge to throw up. The injury hadn't hit anything vital. He was simply in shock. Panicked. He tried to get up, but the smallest of movements sent daggers of pain through his body, making him yelps. He focused on the monster, letting the pain become secondary. It was struggling to see, clawing at it's face with both hands with childish futility. Link frowned. It's hands were empty.

 _It had a spear, I know that much._ Link's thoughts drifted to the wound in his back, then chuckled slightly. _Wow. Not the time for bad jokes._

He flicked his eyes around, looking for the weapon. The monster couldn't get it. He couldn't allow that. His eye's settled on a shaft of wood, standing at a strange angle in relation to the ground. Link followed the shaft downwards. The blood drained from his face, and his body became ice, the hole in his back secondary to the horror and panic he now felt.

The moblin hadn't stabbed him. In it's blind fury, it had thrown its weapon at him, and while it's aim was completely compromised, it had the strength to tear through his body. But it hadn't. No, that strength had been absorbed.

Saria lay face to the ground, her eyes wide yet glazed, her entire body shivering, her limbs twitching, her right arm reaching out to Link, fingers clawing at the dirt, trying feebly to get to him, with a spear, shaft speckled with red, sticking out of her back and piercing through her stomach, a pool of her blood forming around her.

Link screamed.

* * *

The sky had darkened over the Castle Town, and the air was filled with the shrieks of dying monsters and humans. Several squads of monsters had managed to breach the walls, running rampant through the streets, attacking civilians. There had been multiple deaths, and the Captain had ordered all civilians to take refuge until the siege was over.

Dex Epnable was patrolling a street of the main square, under orders of Lieutenant Fabe, not that he was complaining. This was his first real conflict that involved mitral danger. He was glad to be making sure others were safe, along with himself. He wasn't ready for a conflict like this, and Fabe knew it. Dex vowed to thank him after.

He turned a street to find a pair in cloaks, hurling against the wall in fear.

"Excuse me!" He called out, and the strangers jumped at his voice. "I don't mean to alarm you, but all civilians are currently required to take shelter until alerted otherwise. We are under siege."

"Y-yes sir, Mr knight, sir." The first stranger croaked. They were old, and their voice was laced with fear. "We... we-we know, we are simply t-travelers- passing though, you see?"

"In-indeed." The second stranger nodded sharply. "I- My sister and I never- never found somewhere to- to- to stay."

The first one looked to the second. "We're so afraid, aren't we, sister?"

"Yes. Yes we are sister."

"I see." Dex nodded. "Do you have any friends or family in Castle Town?"

"Well..." The second strange brought a decrepit finger to her chin, hidden behind the cloak. "There is... our _son_."

"Why, yes!" The first stranger clapped her hands. "It would be rude not to see him."

"There we go." Dex smiled. "When about is he, then? If it's on my patrol path, I could take you."

"Oh, you know," The first stranger chuckled. "over there." She pointed.

Dex turned and followed her finger. He frowned. She was pointing at Hyrule Castle. "The Castle? I don't think you get in there." He turned back to them. "What exactly does-" The hag leapt forward with impossible speed and pressed her fingers against Dex's face. He jerked his head back, trying to shout, but his voice was lost, as dark magic travelled down the hags fingers and into his skin. He spasmed for a moment, trying foolishly to fight against it, but even strong minds struggled against centuries of experience. His pupils shrunk and his body became still. He straightened up and smiled at the hag. "I think I can take you to your son. Please, follow me."

"Oh, you're so kind." The hag cackled.

Dex walked through the streets, leading the crone and the hag to the castle with a stupid grin. He always did like helping people. He hoped that he could reunite these lovely old women with their dear son. A family reunion. His grin grew wider.

* * *

 **We are drawing near to the end of part 1 of this fanfic. Yes, there are multiple parts of this. Mainly, I will be using the seperate parts to seperate specific times. Once this part is finished, I will likely take a small break to plan out what happens next. I've planned out the actions of the villains, but not quite with the heroes. I hope you enjoy these parts. I'm trying to show the evolution of Link, with seperate parts of his life.**

 **And, don't doubt, the events of this chapter certainly _will_ matter. But you'll have to wait and see how.**

 **Thing's only get worse.**

 **Please feel free to tell me what you think of this chapter or the story as a whole. I'm a novice and this is the main way I practice writing, so any criticism is welcome. I know I'm not perfect yet. YET. But I need to know what I'm doing right and what I'm really not.** **Anyway, thanks. Exams soon, so don't expect much from me.**

 **Also, I didn't mention this last time, but _FUCK_ the song "Subhuman." It is by far the worst piece of music in the DMC series. Also might be, like, the only bad song. Link, there's no others.**


	28. Chapter 28 - Fire and Ice

Deep within the dungeons of Hyrule Castle, the prisoner tilted his head. His magic was numbed, yet he felt a familiar presence. Or rather, a pair of them. He chuckled. "Is there something going on?" He asked his guard mockingly. "The security seems somewhat lacking."

"Quiet!" The guard hissed their response.

"My apologies." He raised his arms as if to surrender, chains rattling. "I've been down here so long, it's hard to make good conversation." He paused. "Does it rain often?"

"I told you to be quiet!"

"Hmm." He scratched the beard forming on his chin. "You seem afraid. Do I scare you, little Hylian?"

"Shut it!" The guard bashed their fist against the door.

The prisoner chuckled. If they were afraid, they wouldn't need to worry about him for much longer. Well, they would, but for a completely different reason. He reclined against the cold cobblestone walls.

 _Yes. Soon._

* * *

Dex Epnable wandered up to the main gate of Hyrule castle with a dopey smile and a pair of hunched over figures waddling behind him. The guards flashed each other confused glances, then crossed their spears as the three figures approached.

"Sorry," The first guard, Alexander, shook his head. "But no one may enter until the crisis is over."

"What are you doing here, Dex?" Irea, the second guard, frowned. "Your orders were to patrol the streets, ensure people stay somewhere safe."

"I am!" Dex grinned. "I need to take them somewhere safe."

Alexander glanced at the cloaked figures. "And you decided to take them… to the castle?"

Irea made a face. "Dex, who are these two?"

"Oh," He glanced behind him, face frozen. "They're here to see their son."

She raised an eyebrow. " _That's_ why you brought them here?"

Dex smiled. "Yes."

Alexander tried to wave the conversation away. "I'm sorry, but could the two of you please remove your cloaks? We can't let you in but we need to see your faces for security reasons."

The cloaked figured looked at each other. "… Of course." The first one muttered. "Wouldn't want to create an uproar." She pulled her hood back, with the second following suit.

"Ah." Alexander tried to hide a grimace. "Ok, that caught me off guard."

"Right." Irea pursed her lips. "A pair of old, old Gerudo women looking for their son. Shouldn't be someone that blends in well." She shrugged. "Probably hot." She turned to Alexander. "You know any hot gerudo guys?" He shook his head. "Ah well. We'll keep an eye out for them, get the message around, ok?"

"Why thank you." Cooed the hag. "That's very kind."

"Alright, now could you please shove- Alexander?" Alexander's face gone bone white, and his hands were shaking. "Goddesses, Alex, are you alright?!"

"Gerudo don't have sons." He muttered.

Irea's face went blank. "Sorry, what?"

"Gerudo are _all_ women." Alexander flicked his eye's to his partner. "There's only one man."

Irea clenched her teeth. "Shit." She swung her spear at the witches, only to be blasted back, slammed against the door of the gate, the wood cracking against her armour. Alexander pulled his spear back and stabbed at them, but the witches were faster. With a flick of her wrist, the crone conjured ice to intercept and trap the spear. Panicked, Alexander tried to pull his weapon free to no avail, then reached for the short sword at his hip. The hag let him take a swipe at her, before giving him a hideous grin and splaying her hand at him, a stream of fire erupting from her palm, hitting him in the chest and melting his armour, the molten metal carving through Alexander's flesh. He let out a scream, only for his breath to be stolen from his lungs as he shot skywards, thrown by invisible hands, slamming into the stone arch above, and before gravity could end his pain, the crone encased him in ice, trapping him on the stones.

Irea had recovered and threw her spear at the witches, only for the weapon to burst into flames and reduce to slag and ashes without much more than a glance from the hag. Trembling, she drew her sword. "Dex! Help us!" Dex didn't respond, only turning to grin at her. Grinding her teeth and sending a silent prayer, Irea charged at the witches, and seemed to draw close, only to feel the cold to late, though even if she knew she could have done anything, and within seconds her entire body was frozen.

Kotake cackled. "That was quiet entertaining."

"Yes, it was." Koume nodded in agreement. "Though perhaps we shouldn't have toyed with them so much."

"Perhaps." Kotake shrugged. "Though killing them instantly would still cause alarm."

"Is there time to dispose of the bodies?"

"I doubt it. We've likely already alerted some of the red-eyed wolves."

Koume scratched her chin. "You're right." She looked at the frozen Irea. "What should we do, then?"

Kotake gave a ruthless smile. "Make sure they would bother us."

She snapped her fingers, and the ice shattered.

* * *

"So… are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"No."

"You won't tell me anything but you won't talk to me either." Zelda pouted. "You're no fun."

Nelo bit her lip, thankful that her cowl hid the action from the princess. She shouldn't have been chosen to protect the princess. For one thing, she was already injured, and for another, she had _no idea_ how to deal with children, and certainly not with a princess. Her whole life, all her issues could be cut down as she faced them, both figuratively and very literally. Assassinations? Easy. Executions? Child's play. But child's play? It's not like she could decapitate the princess, for goddesses sake.

 _I don't want to kill the princess!_ She thought to herself. _Killing children doesn't make them easier to deal with! What's wrong with you?!_ She let out a sigh. _Why is it so bloody hard?!_

Zelda tilted her head. "What kind of a sword is that?"

Nelo blinked. "Sorry? I mean, pardon, your highness?"

"That sword." Zelda pointed at the weapon in Nelo's hand. "It's different from the ones the knights have."

"Oh." Nelo raised the weapon. She was so used to it being concealed under her cloak in her left hand, she had forgotten that said arm was now broken, and that the weapon was exposed. "Well… it's an eightfold steel katana."

"Katana?"

"Yes." She brought the sheathed weapon up for the princess to see. "Single cutting edge, slightly curved blade. Not a common design in Hyrule, but it's fairly standard among Sheikah." Zelda nodded, acute to everything that was being said. "Mine is a bit shorter than most katana's, though not by much, and I've trained to use it singled handed."

"Why is it shorter?"

"So I can conceal it underneath my cowl."

"Wait." Zelda frowned. "Do you aways hold that under your cowl? Doesn't your arm get tired?"

Nelo knitted her eyebrows. "No. I don't. I… guess I've always been holding knives and swords. It's just second nature, I suppose." She paused, collecting her thoughts, opened her mouth to continue, but her voice faltered. She tilted her head.

"Nelo?"

She grunted. She looked over her shoulder, eye's flicking around the room. "I swear I…" She swallowed. Something felt off. Nelo stood abruptly, her chair clattering to the ground. "…Excuse me princess." She muttered, walking to the door. She looked out to see four sheikah and half a dozen knights standing guard, with the nearest of the former turning to her confused.

"What is it? Is the princess alright?"

"Do you feel that?" She whispered, tilting her head as if trying to pinpoint a sound. "Something's happened."

The sheikah frowned. "You feel something? Is it the Swordsman?!"

"No…" As quickly has it had come, the feeling left her. "It's over…"

"Is everything alright?"

Nelo was quiet. She tried desperately to find the source, but the signal was gone. But that didn't act as reassurance. She looked to the sheikah. "Who out the four of the are the two move skilled?"

"Hmm?" The sheikah paused, then pointed to two. "Meliph and Sol."

Nelo called them over. "You two are to guard the princess with your lives until Lady Impa or myself relieve you. Understood?" The both nodded and entered Zelda's chambers. Nelo returned her gave to the first sheikah. "What's your name and the other sheikah?"

"My name is Kara" He replied. "And this is Porter."

She nodded. "Kara, Porter. We need to find the source of whatever that was." Nelo bared her teeth. "I felt dark magic, I know I did. We can't allow that in the Castle."

The two of them place a fist over their heart. "Where to then?"

"It was southwards, I believe." She turned towards where she had felt the presence. "We'll start at the south walls and work from there. Let's move."

The three sheikah focused, and shadows began to immolate from their bodies, growing and until it swallowed the Sheikah and dissipated.

* * *

"Here we are." Dex hummed happily. "Your son is just down there."

They stood before the entrance to the dungeon, the guards already disposed of.

"Will there be more inside?" Kotake asked.

"Of course!" Dex Grinned. "We have to make sure no one escapes."

"Indeed." Koume sighed. "Well this is where we part ways. We won't be needing you anymore. Bring your head down."

"Gladly." Dex smiled and complied. Such nice ladies.

Koume brought her hand to his forehead and, with a single motion, tore her hand away, a small ball of light in her palm, and Dex collapsed to the ground, still smiling, his mind stolen, leaving only the body, an empty husk. Koume waved her hand, and the still breathing Dex was burned to the bone, then to ashes.

Kotake flexed her fingers, frost forming at their tips. "We need to move quickly."

"Agreed, sister." Koume clenched her fist. "Kill those that stands in our way."

"Kill anyone that act as a threat."

Without further hesitation, they plunged into the darkness.

* * *

"Nothing here." Kara sighed. "No one is missing, and I feel no residual magic."

Nelo shook her head. "No, not here." They had scoured the southern walls and the surrounding for a fair amount of time, and were now concluding their evaluation of the barracks, and Porter was growing irate.

"All due respect, _Nelo_ ," Porter scowled. "We've found nothing. Right now, we're wasting time. I'd rather be protecting Princess Zelda than chasing ghosts."

"Porter, hold your tongue." Kara warned.

"Fine." Nelo growled. "We'll check the gate for the grounds and then pathway between the grounds and the town. Then we return. Any objections?"

Porter glared. "No."

Shadows swallowed them once more, and when they faded they stood at the gate, still inside the Castle grounds. A wave of nausea rolled over Nelo, with the other two experiencing similar strains from the constant use of their magic. Once the feeling had passed, the started forwards.

"Let's make this quick." Porter scoffed.

Kara began moved towards the gate, then stopped. "What's that?"

Porter frowned. "What's what?"

"The door." He walked to the gate and pressed his hand against the wood. "It's damaged. Blunt force, from the other side."

Nelo felt a buzzing in her head. "This is the place. I can feel lingering magic."

Kara gripped the door handle and turned, and they moved through.

Porter cursed. "I guess you weren't full of it."

Before them was a pile shattered ice covering cracked armour that had begun to melt, blood and water mixing together.

"Sorcery." Nelo muttered. "This doesn't fit we know about the Swordsman, but we can't rule them out." She knelt down, trying to get a closer look at the remains.

Porter's breath was shaky, and he avoided looking at the pile of ice. "That's one guard. What happened to the other?"

"Look up." She replied.

The two other sheikah did just that and recoiled in shock. The body of Alexander hung frozen at the top of the arch, his face trapped mid scream, eyes wide in pain. Cracks had formed across the ice, making it clear that if the ice hadn't killed him, then his body would be broken if he ever unfroze.

Kara hissed a sting of curses. "We need to find who did this. They have to already be in the castle."

"They could be after the king." Porter shivered. "Or the princess. We need to move."

Nelo shook her head. "Not yet. We may find who the murders are from what's here. Try and find anything that could act as a clue." She looked at Alexanders corpse. Perhaps it was the ice, but it seemed that his chest plate was deformed. As if it was made liquid before he was frozen. She turned to the gate. While most of the stones were pristine and unmarked, in one corner there were slight blackening, and she could smell metal in the air. And something else.

"Nelo, over here!" Kara beckoned her over.

"What is it?"

"Slag." He pointed to a lump of metal on the ground, still hot enough to burn. "And ash. I believe it was a spear."

Nelo narrowed her eyes. "Heat and cold. Fire and ice. Do you know of any enemies of Hyrule that use these abilities?"

Kara scratched his chin. "Fire and ice? Let me think."

"Frozen…" Nelo returned her gaze to the gate. "Frozen and burned. Burned and frozen." She closed her eyes. "Enemies of hyrule. Who? Interlopers, Swordsman, demons, gerudo? No, no. Ganondorf?" Her eyes flew open. "Son of a-!"

Porter shot up. "You know who it is?"

Nelo became frantic. "Kara, I need you to contact the king. We need all available hands to fortify the dungeons. No one get's in or out!" Kara blinked. " _Do you understand?!_ "

"U-understood!" He summoned shadows around him and Nelo didn't wait from him to go.

"Porter, you're with me."

He scowled. "What?"

"I don't have time for your bullshit! We need to get to the dungeon, now!"

"Why the hell are you so panicked?!"

"Fire and ice!" Nelo yelled. "The only known enemies of hyrule that have mastered those magics are the Gerudo witches!" She loomed over Porter. "Do you know who they serve? _The King of the Gerudo! Their son!"_

He swallowed."Oh. Shit."

"' _Oh shit_ ' is an understatement! Now move!"

No longer protesting, Porter meekly stepped away from Nelo and dissolved into shadow, and Nelo in turn summoned her own shadows, which lashed around angrily, her teleportation becoming violent. She hoped she wasn't too late.

* * *

 **Thing's are heating up.**

 **Sorry, but this needed to be focused on a bit more. You'll have to wait before we get back to Link. And soon... bow before the King.**

 **It's so confusing with Twinrova. Which witch is which? ( _HA!_ ) I have to have a tab open constantly in order to check it out who's who.**

 **Finished exams a couple of weeks ago, and I'm happy with how it went down. I may a have a future past school. Hurray! And I never have to science again, thank Sparda. Thing's are looking up for me, I'm allowed to fly again and holiday's are soon. Expect more for now, but remember there will probably be a drop off never year.**

 **Oh, and Smash Ultimate will also take up a lot of my time. Sorry, but I need to unleash my inner Sadistic Space Dragon Pirate.**

 **Also Young Link.**

 **[**

 **So, I just learned that Ocarina of Time has just turned 20 years old.**

 **Happy birthday, Ocarina of Time. This was the first Zelda game I ever played (it was the 3DS version), and I owe it a lot. I didn't play it when it first came out, I'm only like 6 months older than Devil May Cry 1, but it feels nostalgic for me. As you know, it has stoked my imagination enough for me to create a story of my own for what I like to think happened between Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess. The Hero of Time is my favourite incarnation of Link, as I feel that there was an unspoken sadness, among other things, that were conveyed through the story. He started his life as an outcast, grew to help others, then failed when he was needed most, and despite still being a child, he had to pick up the pieces and fix everything. An outcast, a failed hero, yet he never gives up. I like that. Resonates with me. Devil May Cry might let me feel like an unstoppable force, but I feel like Link. I can share his story. DMC3 is Dante's story. OoT feels like Link's story and mine at the same time.**

 **Ocarina of Time may not be the greatest game of all time, not even my favourite game or favourite Zelda game, but it holds a special place in my heart. Thank you Ocarina of Time.**

 **]**


	29. Chapter 29 - For the King

With a violent discharge of darkness, Nelo appeared in front of the dungeon, with Porter appearing not moments after. While Porter took a moment to steel his stomach, Nelo pushed aside any uneasiness and assessed the situation. There were three scorch marks around the entrance, two where the guards were supposed to be stationed, and one near the entrance. There were minimal remains, only some soot and slag, but Nelo didn't need any more clues to know what happened. Nelo moved towards the entrance.

"What are you doing?" Porter hissed. "We can't go in there alone, we should wait until Kara brings reinforcements!"

"The longer we wait," Nelo growled. "The longer we give our enemy to act. Maybe you're right, maybe if we go down, we'll end up like those stains on the wall." She said, gesturing to the scorch marks. "But we'll slow them down, buy time for our back up to arrive. I have sworn to protect Hyrule, and I am willing to do so with my life." She glared at Porter. "Can you say the same, _Porter_?" Her eyes narrowed. "You talk a lot, make a lot noise, little Porter. You were fine, staying with the Princess, staying _safe_." She went silent. "I know you hate me. Get over it. We have a job to do, and you're wasting my time. I won't wait for you." She charged into the dungeon, fading from view.

* * *

The guard tapped his foot incessantly, the sound of metal against stone ringing through the dungeon. While he may have tried to avoid the fact, he was afraid. He was old enough to remember the war with the Interlopers, and from how everyone in the castle was reacting, a war, or battle, on a similar scale had begun. That alone had him on edge, but what was worse was how he was in the very depths of the dungeon, deep below the castle, guarding quite possibly the most dangerous prisoner in Hyrule.

And the prisoner was doing everything to get on the guards nerves.

"What's your name? I feel I should know the name of my captors."

The guard tightened his grip on his spear. He had decided not to respond to the prisoner, and couldn't wait until he was relieved.

"I have to set an example, you see?" The prisoners voice rumbled. "As king, the way I act reflects on my people. I cannot betray their trust in me."

The guard gritted his teeth. Surely he should be relieved by now.

From behind the door, the prisoner shifted, suddenly oddly silent. "Hmm. That was quick."

The guard frowned. "Quick? What are you on about?"

"Oh, so you _could_ hear me."

The guard scowled. "Don't mock me."

The prisoner chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Silence. "What did you mean, quick?"

"Quick, as in fast." The prisoner replied. "You know what fast means, don't you Cale?"

The guard's face went white. "You said you didn't know my name."

The prisoner shrugged. "I lied. Besides, it served its purpose."

The guard turned to look through the door. "What does that mean? What _purpose_?"

"Multiple reasons. To amuse myself," From within the darkness of the cell, the king flashed his teeth. "And to distract you, of course."

From the staircase, something short forward, shining in the torchlight. The guard swung around and the object, an icicle, speared his throat, pinning him to the door. White his throat torn, the only sound he could make was a gurgle. His spear clattered to the ground, and he brought his hands to the icicle, trying feebly to keep himself from bleeding out, even though he could feel warm blood pouring into his lungs, and taste it on his tongue. Within minutes he would be dead.

From the shadows, the Witches emerges, cackling. The guard, not dead yet, tried to reach for his weapon, still naively gripping to life. Koume flicked her wrist, and the weapon clattered further out of reach, and the guard spluttered in defeat, before the witch pointed at him and grinned, a whirlwind of flames enveloped both him and the door, and roar of the flames drowning out any sounds he could have made, and when the flames dies away, the witches moved forwards and into the cell.

"Well well well, look who it is?" Koume laughed.

"My my," Kotake chuckled. "You hadn't contacted us in such a long time. We were getting worried."

" _Very_ worried. How rude of you to make your mothers worry like that."

The prisoner chuckled. "It has been too long. I was wondering what would cause the two of you to take such a long time to even attempt to rescue me, that I begun thinking that when I do get free, I would have to… _punish_ … my mothers for allowing their king to suffer in such a way."

"Now now!" Kotake wagged her finger. "That's no way to say hello."

Koume shook her head. "We didn't raise someone so disrespectful!"

"We did all we could sister." Kotake place a hand on her sister. "We can't be blamed for his mistakes."

The prisoner narrowed his eyes. "My mistakes?" Before they could defend their words, he prisoner exerted his will on them. They tried to respond, but their lungs failed to grant them air. They grasped at their throats, trying to breath, but their bodies seemed to have forgotten how to do so. Once the witches had fallen to their knees, the prisoner released them, leaving both gasping for air. "Do not be mistaken. My imprisonment has not dwindled my strength or my will, and it has not made me any more forgiving."

Koume coughed. "Always was a feisty one, wasn't he?"

"Yes." Kotake groaned. "We did raise him like that."

"There's a pride in that, wouldn't you say?" Koume responded, shakily standing up. "Though I wonder, if you can still access your magic, why do you need us?"

The prisoner tapped the topaz inlaid into his skull. "Our link is the only reason I have any sway over you. My magic is sealed away from me. I can still feel it, dwelling within, out of reach." He moved his arm forward, indicating to the clamp on his arm. "So get to work."

Kotake tapped the lock of the cell, frost building inside until the mechanism ruptured, and opened the cell door. "We must work quickly. Free the arms, then the legs."

The witches moved into the cell and began to work.

* * *

Nelo sprinted down the stairs, ignoring the dead body strewn at the entrance to each level. They had done their duty, and she could not allow their sacrifice to be pointless.

The thought had crossed her mind to simply teleport there, but it had been quickly ruled out. she had no idea what was down their, meaning she could teleport directly in front of the enemy, and with the potential uneasiness that could come after teleporting made it a possibly fatal option.

As she neared the lowest level, the slowed herself, shifting her priorities from speed to silence. She could hear figures, not far from her, and as got to the last spiral in the stairway, pressed herself against the walls. She took a moment to slow her breathing, calming herself, and not long after, the meek Porter joined her.

"They've only just begun." She informed Porter. "If we can catch them off guard, we may be able to end this ourselves. There's a room about four meters long and three meters wide before the cell, small doorway that could be used as a choke point if needed." She peered around the corner slightly. "We want to stay out of the cell itself. Most of the room is cut off with steel bars, barely enough room to move around." She turned to Porter and gestured to her Katana. "Could you help me unsheathe this?" He did, carefully removing the scabbard and leaving the sword in her hand, and was instructed to place the scabbard on one of the steps, so it wouldn't fall and create noise. Once that was done, he drew a pair of knives and brandished them, ready for action. They crept into the room, keeping to the walls, eyes on the open doorway, ears listening to those inside. They were silent, cautious. Porter hesitated. Nelo didn't.

Nelo soundlessly charged into the cell, ready to attack, but was instantly blasted against the wall.

"Ho ho ho!" Kotake laughed. "Looks like they decided to stop us."

"Hee!" Koume smirked. "You take care of them. I can free our son myself."

Nelo gasped for breath. They never had the element of surprise. The witches had expected resistance and made countermeasures. She stood up. _I said I was willing to give my life for Hyrule,_ she thought. _I might have to make good on that promise._ She brandished her weapon and charged. Kotake shot arrow-like icicles through the steel bars, which Nelo barely avoided. She moved to enter the part of the cell with the gerudo, only for a blast of frozen air force her back into the room behind her. She shot a glare at Porter then returned her gaze to the witch.

Kotake shuffled into the room, chuckling as she did so. The witch shot a grin at Porter, then returned her gaze to Nelo. "Don't you know better than to interrupt a family reunion?" She flexed her fingers, and the room became cold. "You should act more like your friend over there." Suddenly she flicked her wrists upwards, and Nelo barely had time to jump away before spears of ice burst out from beneath her. Porter lunged forwards with his knives, but Kotake was nimble, darting under his attack, ice building on her hand, forming a blade of her own, and jabbed it at him, grazing his side, surprising him enough to cause him to involuntarily retreat.

Nelo surged forwards, taking a couple of slashes at the witch, both of which her blocked with shields of ice. Kotake clenched her fist, shattering all the ice in the room and bombarding the sheikah with tiny shards, none of which were deadly, but they still drew blood. Nelo hissed in pain and took another swipe, anticipating the witch would dodge, which she did, before reversing her grip while keeping the blade in the same place and going to stab. Kotake was caught off guard, recoiling to avoid the attack, the blade managing to cut the skin on her cheek and nose. Surprised by the stinging pain, she scowled and threw Nelo across the room, who shifted midair and landed with both feet planted against the wall, then leapt off right back at Kotake, blade aimed at the witches neck, but Kotake was ready. An icicle shot out of the ground, the tip pointed directly at Nelo. With no other option, Nelo slipped into the shadows and appeared behind the witch, her displacement causing her to only hit the witch's shoulder with her own body before hitting the ground on her left arm, sending white hot pain through her body, temporarily paralysing her.

Kotake had been thrown a quarter of the way through the room but recovered quickly, and with little more than a glare, pointed at the groaning Nelo, but before the sheikah could be skewered to death, Porter threw a knife at the witch, diverting her attention. Kotake brought her hands up, portals between both fingers, the knife going into one and the other throwing it back. Porter caught the weapon and changed shot going on the full offensive, darting around Kotake and making quick jabs. In this time, the pain Nelo felt faded from skull splitting to excruciating. Biting her tongue, he forced herself to her feet and gripped her weapon. Porter had manoeuvred around the witch, forcing her into the centre of the room with the sheikah at each end. Porter jumped back, eying Kotake with his knives close to his body.

Kotake sneered. "The two of you are beginning to test my patience." Neither of the sheikah responded, the red eyes fixed on the witch, who stood still, hunched in the centre of the room. A moment passed, then Porter felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and he instinctually jumped to the side, a stream of flame pouring out of the cell and at where his body had just been, with both Kotake and Nelo ducked under it. Nelo looked up to see Kotake grinning then splaying her hands. "Don't worry sister, I've got this!" Nelo felt frost nip at her nose, and she rolled to the side as an icicle shot out of the ground, before shooting to her feet as another shot out of the ground. Another shot out of the wall, forcing her to jump back. Porter tried to go for Kotake, but another icicle shot out from the ceiling, hitting his arm, causing him to stumble, and he shifted into a roll to avoid a pair of icicles moved to spear him. Icicles continuously formed, the sheikah forced to focus all their efforts into dodging the assault.

It didn't take long for Nelo to realise that if it continued they would run out of space and eventually have nowhere to move. "Porter! Break them!" She ordered, emphasising the sentence with a swipe of her sword that shattered several icicles. Porter nodded, opting to destroy them as they appeared. Nelo built up magic into her sword and, when she had a moment to breath, drove it into the floor, discharging the energy, shattering those close and breaking those further away. As soon as she did, all broken icicles and shards of ice flew to Kotake, forming a maelstrom around her. From within, Nelo could see her bug-like eyes burning. The witch slammed her hand against the ground, and a sheet of ice instantly formed over it. Nelo used her sword to steady herself, and in the moment she looked away, the maelstrom shifted, the icicles pointed at both of them. When she looked up, and they flew. Using her sword as support, she leapt to the wall and used her magic to secure herself, allowing her to turn her focus to the attack. She deflected two icicles with her sword before leaping to the other wall. Porter had done the same, not stay still long enough for him to need to defend himself. Kotake fired a blasts of ice from her hands, alternating between targets.

Porter threw a knife at the witch, who shattered it with a frost laced backhand. However, this meant the witch couldn't fire her magic, so Porter gathered magic in his now free hand and fell to the ground, slamming the hand against the carpet of ice and discharging, reducing it to snow and causing Kotake to stumble, creating a parting in the maelstrom. Porter saw the opportunity and attacked, bringing his knife down to slit the witches throat. Kotake, however, was not so easily caught of guard, and when Porter drew close, she batted away his arm, freezing the blood and flesh, and formed an icicle in each hand, which she then drove deep into both sides of Porter's skull, before tossing his body into the snow and turning her gaze to Nelo, barely even acknowledging the life she had just taken. Nelo stood at the base of the stairway, her cold red eyes fixed on the witch.

Kotake raised her hand, and the maelstrom became still. "Think you can take all of this?" Nelo was silent. "Well," the witch continued. "you'll never know if you never try." With a point at Nelo, the onslaught began.

Nelo forged forwards, using her sword as a conduit for her magic to destroy every attack that was launched at her. She needed to chip away at the witch's defences, open her up, so that maybe, _just maybe_ , she could win. Shards of ice tore at her. One sliced through her shoulder, another cut a gash just above her right eye, causing blood to trickling into the eye, and the sheer amount of cuts on her sword hand made it slick with blood. After almost a minute of a continuous onslaught, no more ice came, and after a moment of confusion, Nelo looked at the witch, who just stood there, as if inviting her to attack. Nelo panted, glaring, not daring to move. Should could hear noises from within the cell, sounds of Koume working with the chains. She may have been delaying the witch from harming her, but the witch was delaying her from doing her duty. She pursed her lips. She took a step forwards.

Instantly, spears of ice erupted from the ceiling and floor, forcing Nelo to charge forwards. Ice began to cling to her feet, slowing her down. Panicking, Nelo sprung forwards, making a wild jumping slash at Kotake. As Nelo came down, the witch smiled, and a shield of solid ice intercepted Nelo's weapon, and her sword smashed against it, leaving Nelo with only a hilt with a sharp shard of steel. In the seconds when the swing ended, she realised she had been tricked, that everything that just happened had proceeded as the witch had planned, but she refused to accept this was the end. Not like this. She could she magic build in Kotake's hand, a hand that was coming down, down, to kill her. She couldn't stop the hand. She barely had a knife in her hand. All she could do was die fighting.

Nelo bit down on her cowl and, like lightning, reversed her grip and and slashed at the witches throat. Kotake saw this and was caught off guard, knowing she wasn't fast enough to create anything to protect her, to stop the incoming attack that _might_ be able to _possibly_ kill her, and made a desperate effort to protect herself, bringing her magic laced hand to intercept the attack, and when when Nelo's steel pierced the witch's hand, the magic was released, freezing the hilt of the blade and Nelo's hand to the witch's splayed hand, with the shard through her palm, caught mere centimetres from her throat.

Kotake gasped, grabbing at Nelo's arm in pain. Nelo twisted the hilt and, ignoring the burn of ice, wretched what remained of her weapon skywards, tearing the witch's hand in half, and more. Kotake let out an inhuman scream, cradling her ruined hand. Nelo went in to attack again, but underestimated the witch. Acting on both basic instinct and primal hate, Kotake threw her free, bloody hand at Nelo, sending an arrow if ice directly into the sheikah's gut, with enough force to pin her to the far wall. Nelo gasped. The feeling of burning cold ice mixed with the earth of her own blood. She tasted bile.

"Sister!" Koume howled from within the cell.

"Keep working!" Kotake managed to gasp out. She brought her ruined hand up to her other hand, which dispensed threads of magic that attached to her ruined hand. Moving her fingers furiously, Kotake began to knit the tendons, veins, flesh and bones back together in agonising process. "How. Are. You. Going?!"

"I've released the one on his right arm and have begun on his left." Her sister replied.

Kotake shifted her baleful glare to Nelo. "You have caused far too much trouble."

Nelo croaked. She had done all she could. She had served the King as best she could. Death seemed inevitable. _Well_ , she thought to herself, _might as well have the last laugh._ Using her frozen hand to guide it, she brought up her broken arm and, ignoring the daggers of pain in her mind, raised her middle finger. "Long live Hyrule," she gave a week grin. "and go fuck yourself, you bug eyed shit."

Kotake narrowed her eyes, frost forming around her, when a sword came out of the darkness and slashed at her, forcing her to jump back. Behind the ringing in her ears, Nelo could hear the sounds of footsteps coming down the stairs. Kotake went to attack her dark assailant, only for more figures to emerge from the shadows. Sheikah.

The first man on the scene inched over to Nelo, blade pointed at the witch. "Stay with us, Nelo." Kara urged. "We're not done yet."

Nelo let out a weak laugh. "Took you long enough. I did all the hard work."

Knights surged into the room, spears and swords drawn. Kotake took a step back, hissing. She dived into the cell, sealing the entrance with a wall of ice.

"Break it down!" Kara ordered, and two sheikah moved forward, summoning their magic. Kara then pointed to Nelo. "We need to get her out of here and healed. Don't remove the ice! It's probably all that's keeping her from bleeding out." A pair of knights moved forwards and, with some resistance, separated Nelo from the wall and began ascending the stairs.

On the other side of the wall, Kotake staggered over to her sister. "We're… out… of _time_." She gritted her teeth.

"Hold on, sister!" Koume was working furiously on the lock. "I've almost got it! Then just the legs and we-"

"Go."

The witches froze, slowly turning to their son. "What."

"Go." He repeated. "Leave. This escapade has failed. Leave. Don't let the two of you get captured or killed."

"Don't be stupid!" Koume spat. "We've got you free! This can't be a waste-"

"Do not defy me." He growled. "There will be more opportunities, and as long as you are there to capitalise on them, I can wait."

"My king… my _son_ …" Kotake whispered. "We can't leave you here! We can't leave you like this!"

"There will come a time when I am free, and those that put me here will be punished, along with those that failed me, but it is not now. We the opportunity comes again, it must be swift, secret, and _planned out_. It cannot be this… spur of the moment action. Do not be foolishly brave, for cowards live longer." The witches glanced at each other, and he glared. "I order you, as King, to leave me. Now."

With a moment of hesitation, the witches began to summon a storm of flame and frost, engulfing them, building in intensity until it petered out, leaving nothing behind but scorched and scarred stone.

Seconds later, the wall of ice was destroyed, and the sheikah charged in, only to find the prisoner, slumped against the wall, with every limb in chains.

"Greetings." The prisoner smirked. "And what can I do for you?"

Kara stepped forwards and clenched his jaw. "Where are the witches?"

"Witches?" The prisoner seemed to mull over the word. "Witches. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kara swallowed. He knew that they would get nothing out of the prisoner, and he abandoned any further questions. He ordered the other sheikah to guard him until further orders, and for all but four of the knights to return to their posts.

As he was leaving, the prisoner called out to him. "Though isn't it rude to call someone's mother a witch?"

Kara turned to face the prisoner, who was giving a wolf like smile. Kara stared at him for a moment, then continued to the stairs.

The prisoner dropped his smile. He would have to endure this humiliation for a while longer. When he did get free, though, there would be hell to pay. Everyone that was responsible would be made to suffer, and then… the power of the Goddesses would be his. It would be worth it. It was a simple matter of another time, and another plan. Perhaps a hostage would-

 _Just steal a royal._

His expression darkened. That child could predict the way he thought. Did he warn the sheikah of Twinrova? It was a possibility he could not rule out. There was something about him, the boy in green, that made the prisoner pause. A time would come when he was free, and he was sure that the boy would be there to face him. The prisoner closed his eyes, visualising the child, etching the face into his mind. The child was a fool for revealing himself as an enemy.

 _Yes, a face to remember, indeed._

* * *

 **Greetings. Took me a while, but I got this done, and I'm rather proud of it. Got to show off half of Twinrova, a fight scene that took me a while to visualise and write down, and a bit of teasing on ol' Ganny and Linky boy. (I'm not sorry). But yeah, no Ganondorf anytime soon, I'm building to it. Expect him in the later parts. He's gonna be badass, I promise. The Swordsman won't overshadow him, I swear. Ganondorf is too great a villain for me to push to the side. Same with Nelo. She serves her purpose in the story, but she's not going to take anything away from the existing characters.**

 **Also, you know that video I mentioned way back in my notes at the end of chapter 21? The first anniversary chapter? I found it. Here it is - watch?v=FXpiRzumrVY**

 **Still haven't got Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Damn it.**

 **Please, if you like this fanfic, send a review. It can criticise or complement, but it keeps me motivated. Hearing that anyone likes it really warms my heart.**

 **We're coming to the end of part one, thank you all for sticking around this long. On to the next chapter!**


	30. Chapter 30 - Fury

Link staggered to his feet and stumbled forwards, desperate to get to Saria. The wound in his back sent him falling to his knees in pain, but he continued, crawling over to his friend. He saw Esco lying on the ground, flickering, wings flapping franticly, writhing in a shared pain. Link scooped her up and managed to drag himself to Saria. Here face had gone almost completely white, and her breathing was sharp and desperate. Here eye's were failing her, yet they still managed to lock onto Link as he approached, and she seemed to mouth a silent word.

"No." He whispered. "No, Saria, no- It's alright, it's alright, I'm here!" With his free hand, he reach out and wrapped his fingers around her own, finding them cold. "It'll be fine, I promise, I swear to the goddesses-" His eyes wandered to the spear sticking out of her back and gagged. "Oh goddesses." Gingerly he reached out, then recoiled right before he touched it. _I can't pull it out_ , He thought. _She'll bleed out, and her organs_ … He turned to her. "It's alright, I'm here Saria, I'm right-" Suddenly, the was struck in the jaw and thrown across the ground, and he kept Esco to his chest to protect her while rolling. When he came to a stop, he looked up to see the Moblin looming over Saria, glaring at him, with one eye pale and unresponsive. Link managed to bring himself to his feet and hid the twitching Esco into the pocket in his hat.

"Damn you…" Link hissed. "Get away from her, now!"

The moblin snarled and gripped the spear, causing Saria to gasp in shock, and what the monster was about to do dawned on Link.

"Wait, stop!" He pleaded. "Don't touch that!" But it was pointless. The moblin tried to pull their weapon, but it remained stuck in Saria, forcing a sob of pain out of her. Link charged forwards desperately, but he could never have crossed the distance soon enough. The moblin pressed a foot against Saria's back and placed both hands around the shaft of the spear. Then, it twisted the weapon. Saria shrieked in pain, as blood spurted from her body, loosening the weapon until, with a final twist, the weapon tore itself from Saria's body, forcing a final, shrill scream out of Saria, before she went limp, tears streaming from her eyes.

" _Saria!_ " Link howled, his steps faltering, and he felt tears begin to build up inside him. " _No!_ This isn't how it happens!" His arm trembled as he gripped his sword in both hands. "You bastard…" His breathing became harsh. "You hurt her… I won't let you kill her!" He snarled. "She's always been there for me, _and_ _I won't let you take her life!_ " Link sprinted forwards like a rabid wolf, howling in rage. The moblin gripped its weapon and stabbed, swerving its body and releasing one hand to push it further, and Link batted it away with his sword and retaliating with a slash at the monsters stomach, but it failed to gut the moblin. The slash was too wild, lacking finesse, the intent of the attack to hurt more than it was to defeat. The moblin hunched over and clutched the new wound, and Link heaved his swords above his head and swung downwards with a furious shout, but the moblin moved its arm from its stomach to bash Link away several meters, but Link relented, roaring as he charged at the monster with his blade at the monsters heart. The moblin caught the sword in the wood of their spear, then hitting Link with the butt of the spear, forcing him to his knees. The moblin spun it's spear around and stabbed at Link, who swung is blade hard, breaking the spearhead of the shaft, sending the metal flying past his face, the sharp edge grazing his cheek and ear, then drove his sword into the open wound in the moblins stomach. The monster howled in pain, giving Link a moment to escape, a moment he failed to use, instead twisting the sword. He didn't want the moblin die, he wanted it to _suffer_. This failure to control his emotions gave the moblin time to recover, which responded by punching Link hard, sending him stumbling, followed a boot to his chest which threw Link on his back, causing the still fresh hole in his back to paralyse him in pain momentarily. Link tried to get up, only for a massive hand to wrap around his throat and slammed him back into the ground and choking him.

The moblin brought him up to it's face and Link tried desperately to escape, kicking and punching the monster to no effect. The moblin seemed amused by his struggles, then something flickered in it's eye, something animalistic. Predatorial.

The monster bared its teeth and brought Link close, and in the midst of his pain, Link dully realised that the moblin was going to bite his head off. It hadn't been told _how_ it was supposed to kill him, but eating him would still end with the same result, a dead target. Link tried to pry himself free, crying in fear, but it was pointless, the moblin was too strong. It brought him close and opened its mouth, the smell of rotten meat assaulting Link. Gasping for breath, he clenched his fist and, in a final effort, forced his arm into the moblins mouth and punching the back of it's throat. The moblin recoiled in shock, throwing Link away and slamming him against a nearby tree and stumbling around as the contents of its stomach emptied.

Link gulped down deep breaths of air, eying the monster. He had thrown it off for a moment, but it would recover soon, and it's vengeance would not be swift. His eyes flicked to his sword, lying a few meters away, then to Saria, who's only proof of life being the shivers wracking her body. Esco felt still in his hat, and he knew he was running out of time. Slowly, he began crawling towards his sword, the pain forcing sobs from his body.

The moblin coughed the last of the bile from its throat, then turned to Link with a snarl. I moved over to him slowly, hunched over. Link didn't realise until the monster loomed over him, drooling bile, arms lifted to come crashing down on him, and he raised his arms to defend himself.

A sliver of light flew through the air and buried itself in the back of the moblin's knee, making the leg suddenly unable to carry the weight of the body. The moblin collapsed to one knead shrieked in pain. It reached to pull the foreign object from its body and found its hand clasp the hilt of a knife.

"Link, move!"

Link rolled to the side and the moblin began to turn towards the noise, but it was too slow, and Impa drove her spear into the base of the monsters skull with enough force to slam the monster against the ground, and before anyone could tell if the moblin was still alive, Impa brought her foot down onto its neck with a loud _crunch_ , destroying the moblins spine and ensuring it would not get up.

Impa stepped off the corpse and removed her spear before reaching down for her knife, sheathing it, and turning to Link.

"Oh, Goddesses." She whispered.

Link was battered and bruised, and one of his eyes was turning purple. But that wasn't what concerned her or Link. It was Saria.

Link cradled his dying friend, tears streaming down his cheek, hands and clothes soaked in blood, trying desperately to get a response out of her, and all he got was slight, strained breathing.

Impa walked closer and got a better look at her injures. There was a massive hole in her waist, and Impa managed to identify her intestines and liver amongst the twisted mess of flesh. She was ash white, no doubt a result of the pool of blood her body was swimming in.

"Impa…" Link sobbed. "Please, help her."

Impa looked at the boy in the eyes, those blue, wet, naive eyes, and was silent. Then "I cannot."

"Please Impa!"

She shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, but I cannot."

"But your magic!" He choked. "You can teleport and use magic, just heal her!"

Impa closed her eyes. "Even if I knew healing magic, my power is completely spent. I cannot summon a flicker of magic." She knelt down besides Link. "Besides, even I were the most skilled healer, and I could heal her, completely, without any flaws, she may still die. Replacing the amount of blood she has lost would require a skilled healer alone, without even thinking about reassembling her body." She grimaced at her choice of the word 'reassembling,' knowing it would do little to calm Link, who in turn began to become frantic.

"I- I- I can't let her die Impa!" His voice was shrill.

Impa tried to comfort him, to no avail. "Link…"

"This is my fault, I can't let her suffer what was meant for me!"

"Link-"

"There has to be some way to help her!" He turned to the sheikah, who was silent. "Impa!"

Impa stood up and looked down on Link. "We should get moving."

Link was stunned. "What?"

"We should get moving." Impa repeated softly. "There is nothing we can do."

Link shook his head. "No. No, I refuse to accept that."

"Link, if you want to be a knight-"

"Are you kidding me?!" He shouted. "Are you lecturing me know? How will this help us?!"

Impa remained calm. "Please listen to me." When Link failed to retaliate, she continued. "I have seen countless deaths during my service, from strangers to friends and family. This is what I have learnt. You must remain in control. Of your mind, of your body, of your emotions. You must be able to focus, to push past this horror and prevail. Life is a gift, one should not treat so clumsily. You must do this if you truly want to become a knight." Then, she glared at him. "Now think."

Link swallowed his tears. "Think?"

Impa nodded "Think. You know these woods. You know there secrets?" He nodded. "Tell me, Link, what could heal her?"

Confused, Link shook his head as if to dispel a fog. "I don't know. The Great Deku Tree?"

She shook her head. "Too far away. We'll never making it in time."

He frowned and wiped his eyes, searching his mind for something, anything. Then, a thought, one he would never have considered if the situation wasn't desperate. "A fairy."

Impa nodded. "Yes, I believe a fairy could save. Can we find any in the woods? Is there a fountain?"

"In the Scared Meadow, but we won't be able to make it."

"Can we find fairies, Link?"

Link looked around desperately, when his eyes settled on Impa's spear. "Is that Deku wood?"

Impa lifted the weapon. "From the Great Deku Tree? Yes."

"Give it to me." She handed the weapon over to him. "Did you see any butterflies around?"

Impa tilted her head. "Butterflies?"

"Yes. Did you?"

She nodded. "I believe I did, not too far down the track towards the village."

Link nodded and stood up on shaky feet. "I can get a fairy. Can you keep her alive?"

She nodded. "Give me your hat." He obliged, and Impa set Esco down next to Saria before pressing the cap to the wound, slowing the flow of blood. "Go, quickly."

Link clasped the spear in both hands and, despite his lacking strength, sprinted down the track with incredible speed. Once he was lost from sight Impa let out a sigh of relief. She had been unsure if her treatment was too harsh, but it seemed to have ignited the fire Link needed. As her hands became soaking in more blood, she hoped he would be fast enough.

* * *

 **Hello there my guys**

 **My sugury is all in the past, more or less, and my body is almost back to functioning like it's supposed to. Yay!** **So I did decide to split this chapter into two, with this being what I completed before the surgery. It's more to give me time to think about the next chapter.**

 **HOWEVER**

 **This does not solve everything. As there is a special something next month. The second anniversary of the Fanfic.** **And I was hoping that I would be able to finish part 1 by the time that rolled around. I may be able to do that, but who knows.**


	31. Chapter 31 - Heartbeat

Link ignored the pain in his body, panting as he moved forwards, eyes flicking to each side of the path, desperate for a glimpse. He knew the fickle nature of fairies, and he knew that they would have fled from such destruction. It was impossible to know how many fairies resided in the Lost Woods at any time, but there was always a lot. It couldn't be hard to find what he was looking for.

A sudden pain caused his step to falter. He steadied himself with Impa's spear, gingerly touching the wound in his back, the sting of pain drawing a hiss from between his teeth. It reminded him of his mistake, of was on the line. He couldn't afford to rest. "Saria…" He steeled himself, then continued quickly. He opened his mind to the Lost Woods, letting it act as a guide. He continued forward. How far down were the fairies? What if they had moved, how would he save Saria? Despite his best efforts, panic began to creep into his mind, and he began to franticly look around, but not seeing what was before him. Frantic, frantic. He was panicking, and he couldn't control it, he was-

 _Here._

Link came to a stop, panting and looking around. That voice, was it a thought? Or-

Movement caught his eye and Link froze. A flutter of wings. He turned, and it moved into the trees and out of sight. Link took a deep breath, calming himself, and followed slowly. He rounded the tree and saw more movement, flitting between the trees. Something brown and golden.

"Please, don't run away." He spoke softly, doing his best not so scare it away. He trailed behind, moving as carefully as he could. "Please, I need your help." He rounded the tree and found a golden butterfly, fluttering softly in the air. Strange behaviour for a butterfly, only if it was a butterfly.

Link approached slowly. "My name is Link. My friend, Saria- she's Kokiri. She's dying. I need…" The words got stuck in his throat. "Please… I can't… I'm sorry, please…"

The butterfly hovered for a moment, then fluttered closer to him, towards the end of the spear. Link was still and, slowly, the butterfly settled on the wood of the weapon. At the very moment they made contact, the butterfly erupted into a brilliant light, burning away at the illusion. The fairy sat at the end of the spear, its body barely visible behind the glow of her soul. Link opened his hand for the fairy to rest in, which the fairy nestled into with a giggle. Despite his desperation, he failed to move. He stood there, with spear in one hand and fairy in the other.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered.

* * *

Impa wrung blood out of Links now red stained cap into a puddle of blood next to her before pressing it back against Saria's wound. The young Kokiri had lost all colour in her skin, and she there was scarcely a sign of breath. Impa could feel Saria's blood flow slowing, and didn't know if her heart was still beating, but if it wasn't she couldn't risk trying to to get it beating again. Beside Saria was Esco, motionless if not for the occasional twitch in her limbs or wings. She didn't know how long it had been since Link had gone out searching, though the fact Saria was still alive meant its couldn't have been long, but every time she wrung the blood out of Link's cap, the seconds seem become shorter. She pressed he fingers to Saria's neck, struggling to find a pulse. She was almost out of time.

"Impa!"

She glanced over her shoulder to find Link stumbling towards her. He dropped the spear and almost tripped over himself to get close, falling to his knees in a puddle of blood besides the two of them. In his hands, he cradled a winged ball of light.

"You did it?" She allowed an uncharacteristic amount of emotion to creep into her voice.

"Yeah." Link nodded slightly, focusing on Saria. "She's still alive."

"Barely." Impa returned both hands to the cloth at Saria's wound. "Blood flow is slowing down, and there are barely any signs of breathing." She raised her gaze to Link. "We need to use the Fairy."

Link nodded slowly, and began to move forwards, then froze. Impa frowned and went to ask him what was going on, but noticed something. His jaw was clenched, hands shaking, but strangest, his eyes were wet.

"Link…" She said softly. "We're about so save her."

"I know." Link whispered. "It's just…" He swallowed. His eye's drifted to the fairy, then to Saria and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were steeled. At his nod, Impa removed the cloth to reveal Saria's wound and stepped away. Link parted his arms and the fairy laughed as it steadied itself in the air. It turned to Link, and even though it was hidden by the light, he knew the fairy was smiling.

His voice was clear. "My friend. I need you to save her life. Please."

The fairy was still for a moment, bobbing in the air as if floating on ocean waves, and then, it flew to Saria. Link instinctively took a recoiled away from Saria as the fairy circled around her body. The fairy moved faster and faster, fragments of light breaking off and settling on Saria, until it flew and settled directly on her chest. Slowly, Saria's flesh began to glow, her veins casting shadows against the trees. Her intestines were pulled back into her body, and new, crimson muscle blossomed inwards, melting together as they made contact with each other, twisting slowly until it formed the correct shape, steam rising from Saria's reformed stomach.

Skin grew over the scratches on her arm, scars forming over where her skin had been torn, then faded into her arm, erasing any signs of harm, with the same happening over her stomach, with skin creeping over her muscles, starting pale before darkening to match her natural tone. Eventually, the word was completely closed over, and the glow began to fade from Saria's body, her face once again. Link lunged forwards and put his ear to her mouth, and felt her soft, consistent breath against his skin. He pulled back and let out a sob of relief.

Slowly, the fairy raised off Saria's chest, drawing Link's eye. It's light dimmed, and Link managed to so see the face of the fairy, and it was smiling at him, completely blissful. As it's light began to break apart, guilt stung in his mind.

"I'm sorry." Was all he said as the fairy dissolved in the air. It had fulfilled its purpose, and with it was it's life. Link watched the fairy dissolve into sparks, and felt like his heart was torn in two. "I'm so sorry." Impa stepped forwards. She didn't know what was going through Link's mind, but she assumed it was painful.

With a small gasp, Saria's eyes shot open, and Esco shot skywards, blazing once again. Saria blinked before settling her gaze on Link.

"Oh." She muttered.

Link jumped at her, wrapping his arms around her neck and weeping into her shoulder. Slowly, she pulled him in tight with a hug of her own.

"I thought I'd lost you." Link sobbed.

She smiled. "I'm fine, honestly."

Impa knelt down besides them. "Welcome back, young lady."

"Oh, hello." Saria broke away from Link. "It's nice to, ah, meet you."

Impa nodded. "My name is Impa. And please, don't exert yourself."

"Thank you, Impa. But, please, I'm fine. I feel great." With surprising ease, Saria got to her feet and smiled. "Wait, I'm so rude! My name is-"

Impa chuckled. "No need to worry about formalities, Saria. I'm covered in blood and exhausted, I'm _hardly_ presentable."

Saria let out a small giggle. "I'm not very presentable either." She meekly looked at her feet, then let out a small shriek, causing Link to spin around in a panic. "Is this all my blood?"

Impa nodded. "Yes. You almost died."

"Woah." Saria took a deep breath "It's odd. I don't feel like I almost died. I feel… normal."

Link looked up from the ground. "The fairy healed you completely." He said slowly. "It took away all the pain and trauma, and then restored your body."

Impa nodded. "They are the only forms of healing that can completely cheat death. It makes them a valuable resource." At that, Link's face darkened, but he remained silent. "It was lucky that we could find one."

Saria poked at the holes in her clothes. "Lucky… yeah."

Esco settled on Saria's shoulder and pressed herself against the Kokiri's cheek. "I thought it was over"

Saria smiled. "It's alright. We're alive. Link saved us." They turned to Link, who offered a weak smile for them. "Thank you, Link. We can't say that enough."

"Yeah, well." He slowly rose to his feet. "What would I do without you two?" His eyes moved to Impa. "The Swordsman…?"

"Long gone." She sighed. "We will see him again, but I doubt it will be soon." Link nodded slightly, then returned his gaze to Saria, before walking over and hugging her. When he finally broke away, Impa picked up her spear and stood straight. "We should return to your home. There is nothing more we can do."

Saria nodded her head and agreement and started to move, but stopped, and turned to Link, offering her hand. He stared at it for a moment, blank faced, before he reached out and took it. With that, the children held hands and followed Impa back to the Great Deku Tree's domain, with Link cherishing the warmth he felt in his palm.

* * *

 **Hello everyone.**

 **This is the other half of the chapter I was talking about. Not too great, but it's not crap.**

 **A few things of note. One! I've gone back and edited some of the earlier chapters. Nothing big, just trying to make Hyrule feel bigger than before, with Sheikah teleporting the kids a fair distance rather than having them all ride together and arrive within 5 minutes, because HOLY CRAP that was dumb, am I right?**

 **Two! I still aim to finish up part 1 by the 25th for the second anniversary of this fanfic, so there should be another chapter then as long as my school work isn't too intense. Don't worry, it will get done, and there won't be a hiatus after part 1 is finished, its straight on to part 2.**

 **Three! I thought that is was kinda pathetic to have nothing as the cover for this story, so I started drawing something for the cover; the Swordsman. While it's not 1:1 with the original description, and is still a work in progress, I want to put something there and this is the one thing you guys have no reference towards. I'll keep you posted on that.**

 **Finally, this is just a small thing. Next month will be... something. I'll turn 18, I'll hopefully start part 2, and most importantly, Devil May Cry 5 is out. So next month will be weird. Just a heads up.**

 **Love you all, feel free to tell me how great or crap this chapter was in the reviews.**


	32. Chapter 32 - Nightfall (End Part 1)

Within his council chamber, the King of Hyrule sat alone in silent contemplation, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. It had been eleven years since he had needed to lead through such a taxing day. From a simple day of celebrations to a kingdom wide crisis, he found himself shifting into his old wartime mindset, expecting the worse for every event.

A knock came to the door, drawing his gaze. He nodded to the guard by the door, who opened it for a knight. The king noticed how their helmet was held at their side, loosely, unstressed. Good news, then.

"My king." The knight bowed.

The king waved his hand. "At ease. What news do you bring?"

"Thankfully, good news." He said. "The majority of the enemy forces have been defeated, with those remaining have begun to flee. We have not begun a pursuit, but we can at the first opportunity. We have begun plans should you give the order."

"Denied. Our priority is to protect our people, not to exterminate in some petty revenge." He paused. "That brings me to the question of our people. How have they faired?"

"Given the situation, they've faired well. While many enemies managed to breach our defences, there were only a couple of dozen casualties, with less than eighty injured. From our forces, we have around thirty casualties and approximately one hundred and twenty injured."

The king pursed his lips. "Very good. Anything else to report?"

"Nothing more, your highness."

"Thank you. You may return to your post." When he was alone once again, he allowed himself to collapse into his chair, breathing a sigh of partial relief. His people were safe. Lives had been lost, but they were minimal. He found himself angered by his thoughts, callously disregarding the lives lost. It was the way he had thought during the interloper war, he realised, his wartime mentality. He shuddered. In the time since he had thought like that, he was given the gift of his daughter, managed to mend relationships between the civilisations of hyrule, and grieved the loss of his beloved wife. He sighed. He had been moulded into the king he was out of conflict, regardless of what came after. He took a moment to give a silent prayer to the goddesses to spare Zelda from being shaped as he was.

The king sense a presence behind him, smiling slightly. "Gwonam."

"Your highness." Replied his attendant.

The king turned to the old sheikah. "How is Zelda?"

"She is well." The sheikah responded. "No news of what has happened has reached her, and she was unable to see the battle."

The king grunted. "And what of the witches?"

"Disappeared. We lost several good men, but we managed to drive them off."

"Nelo?"

He shook his head. "Not among them. She's in a bad condition, but she'll heal in time. A long time, but time none the less."

"Good." The king flicked his eyes around the room, as if afraid. "Any word on Impa?"

"No. There is no sign of her. We have no way of knowing what is happening in the forest."

The pair of them fell silent. There was nothing more that could be said on the subject.

The king brought his hands together. "We will maintain or defences through the night. If Impa does not return, then we must assume the worst."

A moment passed. "Zelda was asking about Impa. What will I tell her?"

The king closed his eyes. He didn't answer.

* * *

The air in the meadow carried a feeling of melancholy between the Kokiri. Most of the children were huddled at the base of the Great Deku tree, trying to make sense of what had happened to them. When Link had arrived with Saria, they all gathered around them, ecstatic to find Saria alive and well. She went around, hugging them all, comforting those that were traumatised. Sitting by the entrance with the spear in hand and her back to the wall, Impa took a moment of respite after an exhausting day. Looking over them all was the Great Deku Tree, a silent presence watching over the meadow, and sat on top of one of its roots was Link, hugging his knees. He looked at the Kokiri clustered around Saria. He couldn't hear what she was saying, but when they all turned and looked at him, he knew he didn't need to, and tried to hide his face behind his legs.

Impa stood up cracked her neck before wander over to the Great Deku Tree, taking care to circle around the still cautious Kokiri eying her. She understood. The fact that the first adult they had ever met was covered in blood and had an intimidating habit for silence probably didn't help to calm them.

When she reached the guardian of the forest, a shiver went through the tree. "I owe you my deepest thanks, Lady Impa. You saved my children."

The sheikah shook her head. "I didn't save them all."

"And I failed to fulfil my duty as their guardian. But because of you, there is still life." The Great Deku Tree seemed to darken. "But you did not come here to protect."

Impa didn't move. "No."

Link's head jerked around in shock. If not to protect, then why would they come here? What could be more important than the lives that were saved? Had he only been brought as a _glorified map_?

The Deku Tree's gaze shifted to the young boy. "Link, this is a matter that cannot be discussed near idle ears. Could you please join the others?"

Link stared at them, flicking between the pair, before silently standing up and moving towards the kokiri, Impa watching him go. When she saw him approach, Saria lit up. Link saw her face, her smile, and his eyes drifted to the blood stained hole in her clothes, and all he felt was guilt. He looked at his feet and passed by them. Link sat at the top of the hill and returned to hugging his knees. Saria's face fell.

A shiver ran through Impa's body as a barrier formed between her and the children.

"There." The Deku Tree sighed. "We can talk in secret."

Impa turned to face the guardian. "Good. You know what I'm going to ask."

"Yes."

Impa held her breath. "And what is your answer?"

"It is safe."

Impa breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank the goddesses. Were they even close?"

"I refuse to impart that information. It was part of the arrangement that I never take action to reveal it." He closed his eyes. "However, I believe they did not know of it's existence. They were here for the kokiri, not to find the shadow."

Impa's face softened. "I am sorry. You have lost much."

The guardian was sombre. "I will grieve, when the time is right. But for now, I must do my duty. If you would allow it," He said with his former strength. "I would like to talk with Link in private."

Impa bowed. "Of course." She turned and passed through the barrier. "Link!" The boy looked up. "The Deku Tree wishes to talk with you."

Link tensed up, and approached. When he reached the threshold, he looked up to Impa, who simply nodded to him and walked towards the entrance of the meadow. Link took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and passed through the barrier.

"Link." The Deku Tree's voice was soft. "There is much I want to say to you, but first of all, I must thank you." Link refused to meet the Deku Tree's eyes. "You brought a protector for my children, and you saved someone that I could not. You did what I could not."

Link stood there, silently. Then, slowly, he began to sob. "I did this." He whispered. "I killed them."

"Link, this does not fall on your shoulders." Urged the Deku Tree.

"I could have saved them." He looked up with tears eyes. "I could have come here, warned you, but I didn't."

The Deku Tree was silent, and Link returned his gaze to the ground, waiting for the rage of the guardian of the forest, but when the Deku Tree spoke, his voice was gentle. "I know you, Link. I know that you would never abandon those in need. So, did you save them?"

Links chin trembled. "What?"

"Did you save them? The others that were in danger."

"That's not…" Link shook his head. "That's not point!"

"But it is." The Deku tree closed his eyes. "As guardian of this forest, _and_ the kokiri, I should have been able to protect them. That's what you thought, wasn't it?"

"Stop it." Link hissed.

"The others that you went to protect, did they have such protection? Or were you all they had?"

"Please, shut up!"

"Did you save them?"

"I did! Yes, but you-"

"Then you made the right choice. I should have been able to protect my children."

"There was barely anyone compared to the forest, how could you forgive-"

"You will not get forgiveness, because you have nothing to be forgiven for."

"He came here because of me!" Link screamed.

There was silence. Links body shuddered as tears streamed down his face, and the Deku Tree waited patiently until he was ready.

"He killed them…" His voice trembled. "Because of me. Everyone that's died… he did that to get to _me_. He wanted me out. He wanted me dead. I… I didn't…" He trailed off, grabbing his head and trying desperately to force his tears away.

"Link…" The Deku Tree extended a root and wiped away a tear. "That cannot be blamed on you. The sorcerer wanted to turn your compassion against you. To make your strength into weakness. And if you allow yourself to shoulder that pain, they have succeeded." He raised the tear to Link's eyes. "These tears… they are for those whose lives were ended by the sorcerer. The blood is on his hands, not yours. Your ability to mourn is what separates you from him. All he has to mourn is himself and what he once could have been."

Link couldn't meet the guardians eyes. He felt too much guilt, too much shame. "But they're still dead."

"Yes." He replied slowly. "And they cannot be brought back. In time, we will join them. All of us will. Perhaps, if it is the design of the goddesses, we will all be united when that time comes."

"I won't." Link muttered.

The Deku Tree frowned. "What do you mean."

"I can't come back." He tried to steel his nerves. "I can't. All this is my fault. This suffering is because of me. Everyone will be safer if I'm not around." He hugged himself. "Besides… no one will miss me. They'll blame me."

"Do you really believe that?" Link was silent. "Is how you want to live, Link? Never returning? What of Saria?" Links jaw tightened. "Are you content to let this be the last time you see each other?"

"No… I didn't mean that."

"I understand." Reassured the Deku Tree. "This trauma will not be kind to you, and what has happened here today will remain in your mind for a long time. But do not forsake this place forever. You don't have to stay away, but you don't need to feel obligated to come here. There will always be a place for you here, should you need one. Remember that."

For the first time that evening, Link met the Great Deku Tree's eyes "I will." He turned around and looked to Impa, and wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. "We should probably return to the castle. Impa has her duties and I… I need to get away."

"When will I see you again?" The Deku Tree ask.

"I don't know." Link admitted. "Partings are difficult. Every time you meet someone, there's a parting. Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short while…" Link trailed off, his eyes unfocused. He shook his head, bringing his mind back together. "It won't be forever." He nodded and started towards the sheikah.

"Wait." Link turned to the Deku Tree, confused. "Impa is exhausted. Give me your ocarina." Link grabbed the instrument from his belt and extended it to the Deku Tree, and a root reached out and tapped the ocarina, filling it with light once more, and another set of branches extended forwards, presenting his shield. "I wish you well, Link."

Link took the items from the Deku Tree's grip, then gazed up and managed a small smile. "Thank you." He paused as he slipped the shield onto his back. "For everything."

Impa saw him coming. She walked over and gestured to the ocarina. "You're taking us the distance?"

"Yeah."

"Link!" Called a voice.

Link took a deep breath before he faced Saria. "Hey Saria." He smiled. "Sorry that I can't stay. I've-" She didn't let him finish, jumping at him and wrapping her arms around him, the sudden action sending pain through his wound. "Gah! Saria!"

"Sorry!" Her voice was muffled in his shoulder. "I forgot because- sorry."

Link grimaced. "It's ok."

Saria pulled away and held his arms. "Sorry. It's just, you saved my life. I owe you."

Esco hovered down and sat in Saria's shoulder. "Both of us."

"Right." Saria laughed. "We both owe you our lives."

Link's smile wavered. "You don't owe me anything."

"Shush." She smiled. "We can't thank you enough. And don't say we can. We never can."

Link smiled sadly. "It's ok." His smile fell. "I've got to leave now."

Esco pouted. "Come on, really?"

Saria swatted at the fairy who danced between her fingers. "Leave him alone, Esco." She looked and Link with sad eyes. "Do you really have to leave, Link?"

"I can't stay." He looked around. "I shouldn't stay here. I need to get away."

Saria frowned. "You'll come back, right?"

He hesitated.

"Link?"

"I don't know yet." He admitted. "I _will_ come back, I just don't know how long I'll be." To took a shuddering breath. "We'll see each other. When we do, we can have a picnic."

Saria grinned. "Sure. It'll be great." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll hold you to that promise." She said with a wink.

Link touched where she had kissed him and went red. "I should have guessed." He pulled her in for a hug. "Now you promise me something. Stay safe, got that?"

"Alright, I promise."

Over Saria's shoulder, Link saw Mido, who had woken up when they arrived, watch them. "Hey!" He called out, causing the Kokiri boy to frown. "You take care of them, got that?" Slowly, the boy nodded, which Link returned. "Thank you, Mido."

Impa cleared her throat, drawing Link's gaze. "Ready, Link?"

"Right. Sorry." He muttered. "Bye Saria. I'll see you… when I see you."

Saria waved. "Good luck, Link. Remember, you're never alone."

Link let those words hang in the air for a moment, then brought the ocarina to his lips and began to play. Impa stepped towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder as light began to build around them, swirling as Link played the Prelude of Light, and once the music faded, the pair had disappeared.

Saria hugged her shoulders, wishing she could stay with Link for just a bit longer. Esco rested on her ear, drawing a small smile out of her.

"He'll be fine." The fairy reassured.

"I know." She said.

 _I hope_ , she thought.

* * *

Light streamed through the stained glass of the Temple of Time, illuminating the pristine marble with brilliant colours, and music echoed through the halls as Link opened his eyes.

Impa shook her head. "That was… different… to my teleportation."

"Yeah." Link muttered. "Less intense."

"Indeed." Impa took a step forward and stumbled, steadying herself with the spear. "Damnit. I don't think I'd be able to teleport a few steps ahead if my life depended on it."

Link looked up. "You going to be ok?"

"Of course." She gritted her teeth. "Though I won't be able to protect Zelda for a while. I hope Nelo will suffice."

"We should get you back to the castle."

"Yes." Impa agreed. "I think I may fall unconscious soon. I'd hate for you to have to drag me all the way there. I'd stain the ground with all this blood."

The sides of Link's mouth twitched. "That was almost a joke."

Impa sighed. "Don't get used to it. Come on."

Link went to move, then froze. "Wait."

Impa turned to him. "Link? Is everything alright?"

"That." Link pointed at her waist, fear in his voice. "Where did you get that?"

Frowning, Impa looked down to the wooden mask on her belt, then back to Link. "This? I found it on the ground in one of the castle halls. Why?"

"That's the Deku Mask." He whispered.

"Yes, it is one. Why is that of note?"

"No, you don't understand." He shook his head in frustration. "That's _the_ Deku Mask. My Deku Mask. From Termina."

Realisation dawned on Impa's face. She looked down on the mask. It seemed completely normal, devoid of magic, yet… "When I found it, reality seemed warped, and there was a presence. One that was dark."

Tentatively, Link removed the mask from her belt and held it. "This is defiantly the mask. I can feel the sorrow within." He looked at Impa. "Why did you keep this? Why did you take it to the forest?"

The sheikah shook her head. "There was no time. I needed to get to you as soon as possible, to get to the forest as soon as possible." She paused. "In fact… it was because of this mask that I though to bring you. Or that the Kokiri needed protecting." Link was quiet. "I suppose it is to thank for the lives we saved."

"Yeah, sure." Link muttered. "And what about that dark presence? It probably took the mask."

"I do not know." Impa sighed. "I doubt its intentions were pure, whatever it was, but it's actions are what saved the kokiri." She began to move again. "If we must discuss this, we must do it later."

Impa hobbled her way out of the Temple, followed closely by Link. When they exited, the knight guarding the area yelped in shock at the sight of them before brandishing their spear. Impa saw them and raised a hand. "Calm yourself. I am Impa, leader of the sheikah."

"Oh, uh, Sir Klaus." The knight lowered their weapon. "Hell. You look half dead."

She shook her head. "Do not worry, most of this blood isn't mine. Though could you please help me get to the castle? I do require medical assistance."

The knight blinked. "Oh. Of course." He ran over and placed her arm around his neck for support, then saw Link. "Who's this lad?"

She looked over to the boy. "Link is one of the trainees. He aided me in my escapade, and was wounded in the back. Nothing serious, but he should get injury stitches up."

"Don't worry, Lady Impa, I can do that myself from the supplies at the guard post."

"Thank you. Now," she said, drawing unwanted attention away from Link. "tell me our situation with the siege."

"Well," The knight began, moving forwards as he did so. "the main body of the enemy has been defeated, with various groups breaking away from it and fleeing. The king has ordered us not to pursue and instead focus on maintaining defences."

Impa grunted. "A wise decision."

"Yes." The knight agreed. "There were multiple breaches in our defences, with under a hundred casualties in total as of the last time I was briefed."

"And the castle?" She asked absently.

"Was breached."

" _What_?!" Impa stumbled. "What do you mean, _breached_?!"

"Calm down, Lady Impa, we-"

"How could that happen?!" She demanded.

"I don't know." He admitted. "All I know is that two welders of fire and ice magic managed to bypass our defences and killed several knights."

"Twinrova." The pair of them look down to Link, who's face was grim. He turned to them. "They went to the dungeon?"

The knight tilted his head. "Yes. How do you-"

"Ganondorf." Impa realised. Her face became cold. "What happened with them?"

He shrugged. "There was a fight in the dungeon, and they got away."

Impa's eyes narrowed. "With a prisoner?"

"There's been no report."

"I see." Impa said slowly.

Link let out a sigh of relief. He was still imprisoned. The witches had failed. Thank the goddesses.

"Come on, let's pick up the pace." The knight grunted. "We shouldn't dawdle. Keep up, lad."

"Yes." Impa groaned. "The sooner, the better."

* * *

A knock came from the door, with a sheikah following it into the council chamber. "Your highness."

The king looked up. "Yes?"

"Lady Impa has returned."

The king let out a massive sigh of relief, collapsing into his chair. "That is a relief. Where is she now."

"Being taken into the infirmary. She sustained multiple injuries and her magic is completely spent."

The king leaned forwards. "Did she bring any news?"

"Nothing much, your highness." Shrugged the sheikah. "All she had to report was that she acted as ordered and that there was nothing of note to report. She said that she would provide a full briefing, but it was no matter of urgency and that she must rest first."

"I see." Internally, the fear held in the kings heart faded away. They didn't have it, and from the simplicity of Impa's report, they didn't know it existed. _Thank the golden goddesses._ "Thank you."

"Your highness." The sheikah bowed and exited the chamber, and the king turned to his attendant and grinned.

"Hyrule remains safe." He chuckled.

"And better yet," The old sheikah replied. "Zelda keeps her favourite bodyguard."

The king laughed. "True, my friend. Very true."

* * *

"How long was it? A few hours before you're back in even worse condition!"

Nelo groaned. The doctor had managed to remove the spear of ice from her body and made sure her organs weren't ruined, but they hadn't done so without complaining. As the doctor sewed up the gapping hole in her stomach, she decided it was better to simply ignore what they were saying and focus on not focusing on the pain.

"Honestly," They continued. "you're going to burn through all my potions alone. They're expensive, you know!"

"Please," A new voice intruded. "It's not like it's coming out of your pocket."

Nelo shifted her gaze to see a bloody and tired Impa supporting herself against the doorway. "Fuck." She drawled.

"Farore above!" The doctor shouted. "Get on the bed, now!"

"Relax." She waved her hand away. "Most of this blood is that of moblins and bokoblins." She walked over and paused by Nelo. She looked the wounded sheikah up and down, settling her gaze on the half sewn closed hole in Nelo's stomach, then glancing down at her own blood stained body, at her limp arm and torn up skin, then met Nelo's gaze with bags under her eyes. "You look like hell." She said plainly, then moved to the bed the doctor indicated to. Nelo was stunned for a moment, then let out a weak laugh.

"Who'd have thought…" She grunted. "That you'd have a sense of humour."

"Yes, well," Impa replied, unbuckling her chest plate. "It's been a long day." She let the ruined armour fall to the ground with a heavy clang, causing the two injured sheikah to wince in unison at the sudden noise.

The doctor walked over to Impa. "Now, I need to see how bad-"

"Don't bother with your analysis." Impa interrupted, beginning to remove her clothes. "I have multiple broken ribs, mainly on my left ribcage, there's a possible fracture in my upper left arm, nothing major but still something of note, and the middle and small finger are broken, and I think some bones in my right foot were crushed. All other wounds are low priority." She handed the bloodied clothes to the doctor and eased down onto the bed, hissing in pain.

"Right." The doctor pursed their lips in distain, then dropped the clothes next to the chest plate. "Ok then." They returned to tending to Nelo, and once her wound was sewn up, the doctor grabbed a jar filled with a green powder from a shelf and poured a spoonful into a glass of water, which was then handed to Impa. "For the pain."

Impa nodded her thanks and downed the liquid in a single swig, blinking from the taste. She looked down at her naked body, and was unimpressed. The blood of the monster's she'd killed had soaked through her clothes, leaving her skin crimson and wet. Beneath that layer of blood, the body was a mess of cuts and bruises, the largest of which being under her left breast, over her broken ribs, swollen, purple and the size of a splayed hand.

She collapsed onto the bed. "First thing's first. We get this disgusting blood of me, before its absorbed into my veins."

The doctor collected a bucket of water and a cloth. "That's not possible, Lady Impa."

She sighed. "Exaggeration." The doctor pressed the wet cloth against Impa's skin. "Gah! Son of- the goddesses! That's cold!"

"What?" Nelo frowned. "The goddesses don't have sons."

"Quiet!" She hissed and the blood was scrubbed from her body. "Force of habit! Can't be vulgar around the princess."

"Right." Nelo chuckled, sending daggers of pain through her body. "Oh, damn that hurts."

The doctor rinsed the blood out of the cloth and returned to Nelo. "Quiet you. I won't have you reopening that wound."

She screwed up her face. "You be quiet." The doctor responded by pressing a medicine soaked bandage to her wound. "Oh, son of a bitch!"

Impa raised an eyebrow. "I never knew you could be so crude, Nelo."

"I hide it well enough." She wheezed, raising her body to allow for the doctor to wrap the bandages her bare stomach. "When I was fifteen, I only just been allowed to speak freely. I didn't expect to be chosen to protect the royal family, so I let myself go wild."

A pang of guilt stung in Impa's throat. "Yes. I do regret that you were selected. I would prefer you lived a simple life."

Nelo tried to shrug. "What can you do? I've just done what I was told since I was five. How I survived." She grunted as the doctor tightened the bandages and returned to Impa. "That's just how it's been." She paused, watching as Impa was cleaned. "Though… I don't think I'm ready to do the job. I'm not right for it."

Impa pursed her lips. "It's ok, Nelo." She reassured. "I will aid you in any way you need. You don't need to be the perfect guardian angel. No one can expect that from you. And you don't need to reshape yourself to do your duty. Adaptivity, not reformation, is what makes one great."

"I don't want be great. I want to be human."

Impa closed her eyes. "It is alright Nelo. Don't fear what is to come. I shall face it with you."

"Oh no." The doctor said, flicking cold water on Impa. "You two are going to rest. I don't care who you are, right now you're my patients and you need to stay put and heal."

Nelo growled. "Hey, this is a private conversation."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. "Then have it in private."

Nelo blinked. "I can't bloody move, and she could pass out at any moment! _And she's naked!_ "

"Well," The doctor shrugged. "I guess that I've got to stick by you two." With her right hand, Nelo flipped off the doctor, who responded with a glare. "Oi, watch it! That hand hasn't fully healed from being frozen! You want it to fall off?"

Impa sighed, and was too exhausted to continue with the pair of them around. "I'm going to black out now." She decided, and before either Nelo or the doctor could respond, she did just that.

* * *

Captain Graves sat on the walls of the town walls, overlooking the carnage of hyrule field. It was a mess. He remembered the grass and flowers that characterised it, the warmth that surrounded the town from every direction. Now it was a pock marked wasteland of dirt and dead bodies. The bodies of the monsters were fading away, dissolving into darkness, leaving behind only caresses smelling of rot.

"Thought I'd find you here." Called a voice. Graves turned around to see lieutenant Fabe coming up the stairs.

"Fabe." The captain smiled, pointing to Fabe's hands. "What've you got there."

"Ale." The lieutenant replied, raising the tankards. "Been a long day, thought you might need it."

Graves laughed. "Goddesses, you're the best." He took a tankard and clanged it against Fabe's. "You're right, it has been a long day."

The pair of them took a swig in unison, causing Fabe's helmet to fall of his head, the jarring sound making him almost choke in his drink.

Graves chuckled, patting his friend on the back. "Careful, wouldn't want to die once all the fightings over."

"Yeah." Fabe snorted. "That would suck, huh?"

Graves took another sip of ale. "Yeah. The topping to cake made of crap." He turned to Fabe. "You never faced anything like this, did you?"

"Nah." Fabe admitted. "I only got initiated at the end of the war. This was something new." He paused. "Did you ever go through something like this? During the war?"

Graves shrugged. "Kinda. I defended this town and other villages, but I was never in the thick of the conflict. Though I was there in the final battle." He grinned. "For your first siege, you did pretty well, Fabe. Kept your cool and did what you had to do. You've come a long way, buddy."

"Ah, shut up." The lieutenant smiled. "You'll make me blush."

"Seriously." Graves insisted. "I can put in more than a good word for you. You've earned the rank of captain."

"Hey, hey." Fabe pointed at Graves, devoid of all humour. "I don't want to simply become a captain because of what you say."

The captain sighed. "Fabe, if I didn't think you were ready, I wouldn't have brought it up. You know how honest I am with you."

"I know, I know."

"Remember when you wanted to ride a horse as a knight? Be a Cavaliere?"

Fabe ground his teeth. "Yes, I remember."

"Remember how I told you that you shouldn't sit on a horse, let alone try to ride it."

"Yeah, but you told me to try it anyway."

"Because I didn't want to hurt your feelings. And remember how when the horse threw you, I said-"

"I get it!" Fabe shouted, not wanting to dwell on something so embarrassing.

"Besides," Graves continued. "I think my spot will be open soon."

"Wait, what?" Fabe stood up. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Graves raised his hands. "Okay, that came out differently to what I meant. I meant that, from what I hear, I'm going to be put on training the kids in the castle. And I can't do my job here and train them as best I can. And I'd much rather have you up on the walls then some stranger."

"Are you sure?"

Graves grinned. "Nope!"

Fabe rolled his eyes. "Oh, great."

Graves offered his tankard, and Fabe reluctantly hit it with his own, followed with the pare of them taking another swig. A moment of silence passed between them.

"This isn't then end, is it?" Fabe asked.

Graves shook his head. "I don't think so, no. I hope it is, but we didn't win this fight. Lots of monsters got away, and we have no idea what happened to that swordsman."

"Well then." Fabe stretched. "Here's to hoping for a better tomorrow."

Graves laughed. "I'll drink to that!"

* * *

"Damn them!" Hissed Kotake. "Damn them all!"

"Quiet sister!" Koume whispered. "We don't know who could be listening."

The gerudo witches pressed their bodies against the canyon walls, concealed in the late afternoon shadows.

Koume craned her neck over her sister's shadow. "How's your hand?"

"My hand is fine!" She clenched her fist, grinding her teeth in pain.

"Cleary." Kotake scoffed. "I should never have worried."

"How can you be so oblivious?" Koume shouted. "We failed! The golden opportunity was presented before us, and we failed!"

"I am fully aware of how we screwed up, but we need to follow our kings orders! We need to keep a level head."

Kotake slapped her sister, only to howl in pain, the sounds echoing off the walls of the canyon, followed by the sounds of the squabbling sisters.

And above them, a sheikah watched. They had been assigned to monitor the area inhabited by the gerudo after their assault, but he never expected to find the pair of them. He knew he didn't stand a chance against the witches, and never considered facing them. But he knew where they were, and that was surely aid against them when they were confronted. He jotted down a message to be sent to the castle and rose to retreat to safety, when armoured hands grabbed his neck and crushing it.

As the sheikah's body crumpled to the ground, the Swordsman stole the message from the bodies grip. He knelt down and gazed at the pair of gerudo, then opened the sheikah's report. He read it through, then shifted his gaze back to the witches, who had managed to quiet themselves down. After a moment of thought, acessing his options, then stood up, the feeling of a hot sword tearing at his chest as he did so, a by painful product of his teleportation away from the forest. Once he was steady, he took a step forward and dropped into the canyon, slamming into the ground, shattering the stone underneath him and creating an explosion of stone and sand. The witches jerked their heads towards the sudden commotion, magic flaring in their hands. From within the dust cloud, the dark figure emerged, slowly walking towards them. He stopped a few meters before them and tilted his head, rusted eyes drifting leisurely from one witch to the other.

"Twinrova." He rasped. A statement, not a question. The witches didn't respond. "Gerudo witches."

"Well." Kotake growled. "He seems to know who we are."

"So it seems." Koume snarled. "And we don't know him."

"You're enemies of Hyrule." He whispered.

"So we are."

In wordless agreement, the witches simultaneous blasted the stranger with fire and ice. The swordsman caught the stream of frost in one hand and danced around the other, his entire arm being encased in ice. He charged forwards, using his frozen arm as a shield to close the distance, and once he was close he lunge forward with the arm, with the witches jumping away, making him strike the canyon wall, shattering the ice around his arm and cracking the stone. He turned to the witch of ice. She was injured. Weak.

Koume threw a ball of flame at the swordsman, but he saw it coming, drawing a rapier and slicing through the attack. Kotake followed suit, the pair of them barraging him with spears of ice and flame. He turned to face the onslaught, shattering them with quick slashes and stabs. An icicle managed to bypass his defences, hitting him hard in the shoulder, forcing him back and breaking a few links off his chain mail. Growling, he drew the other rapier, and charged at Kotake. She tried to blast him with more icicles, but he shattered them all with ruthless efficiency. He quickly closed the distance and stabbed that the witch, but Kotake caught his arm in a wall of ice. The swordsman grunted, surprised, and before he could free himself, Koume blasted him in the back with a stream of flame, the force behind the fire throwing him through the wall of ice. When he managed to get to his feet, Koume flicked her wrist, making the flames swirl around him, building into a whirlwind of flames, the heat melting the sand around him.

The swordsman roared in pain, forcing himself to his feet. He drew dark magic into his blades and slashed into the flames, killing them. The moment he did, however, and explosion of fire struck him in the chest, throwing him against the canyon wall and rolling away. Once again, he forced himself to his feet.

Koume sneered. "Tenacious, aren't you?"

The swordsman brandished his blades, flicking his gaze between the sisters. His armour was smoking and ashen, and he could barely tap into his magic. Even if he could, he doubted he could take on the pair of them. He needed to beat them in a battle of wits, not power. He took several stepped back, pressing his back against the wall.

Kotake chuckled and closed her fist, causing the stones to liquify and engulf the swordsman entirely, leaving only his head and hands free. At a wave of the witches hand, the stone began to tighten, drawing a gasp from the swordsman and forcing him to drop his rapiers.

Koume smirked. "What else could you expect sister?"

"Nothing but victory, sister." Kotake sighed, massaging her healing hand. "And after today, victory feels good."

"Now," Koume glared, hovering closer to the swordsman until they were face to face. "let us see just who you are. Sheikah? Mercenary? Or just a fool?" She craned her neck and stared directly into his eyes, which were narrow in exhaustion. She splayed her hand and poured magic into each of her fingertips. "No matter. We'll know soon enough." She placed her hand over the swordsman face, closing her eyes as she delved into his mind, deeper and deeper, and when she found something, all it was, was darkness.

"What?" Koume's eyes flew open and met the swordsman's once again, which were now ablaze with fury.

Before she could react, the swordsman lunged forwards, shattering his stone prison and grabbing the witches neck, strangling her. He opened the other hand, and a rapier flew into it. "Don't move." He growled, pressing the tip of the blade into Koume's chest and turning his head to her sister. "If you move, she dies."

Kotake hissed, furious. The temperature dropped rapidly, causing frost to form in the air. In response, the Swordsman pushed his blade further, drawing blood. Kotake grit her teeth, and the temperature rose once again, yet the Swordsman kept the blade where it was.

"If the two of you are quiet done," He rasped. "we may continue."

"What do you want?" Kotake snarled.

"You attacked Hyrule Castle this afternoon, correct?"

The witch narrowed her eyes. "Yes."

"I assume you did so because of the army that hyrule was facing." The was a pause between them. "Am I correct?"

Kotake clenched her fists. "Yes. You. Are."

"Well then." The Swordsman tilted his head. "You should be made aware that it was _my_ army."

The old woman blinked. "What?"

"And if you are calm enough to listen without attacking, I have a proposition."

Kotake licked her lips, careful of her next words. "What is your proposition?"

The Swordsman nodded, satisfied. He withdrew his blade from Koume and sheathed the weapon, throwing the witch to her sister. Koume gasp for air, glaring at the Swordsman, but she did not attack. There was more to him than they realised.

"Hyrule has taken something very important from you, hasn't it?" He asked, voice calmer yet no less rough. "Your king? Something not easily replaced in an all female race."

"You mock us." Koume snapped.

"No. I don't." The other rapier flew into his hand, and he observed it for a moment, then continued. "It is a matter defining the contract."

"What do you mean?" Kotake muttered.

"What I can offer you." He sheathed the weapon. "I can provide you with my power, my armies, magic and knowledge, in order to free your king."

"And in return?"

"A simple two things." The Swordsman stood there, motionless. "You will serve me where my plans need you, but you will be free to act however you please outside of my plans."

"Serve you?" Koume spat. "Never."

"Only!" The swordsman hissed. " _Only_ when I have need of you in my plans. And _only_ then."

"And your second demand?"

"Something I believe you will find most agreeable." Behind the mask, his face darkened. "Hyrule must fall. The royal family must _suffer_." He tilted his head. "Do you believe your king will agree to those terms?"

"How can we trust you?" Kotake growled. "The only reason we're talking is because you threatened us!

"I did not attack." He reminded. "You engaged me." The witches scoffed, but did not argue. "Well?" He prompted. "Do we have a deal?"

"What would your plan be?" Koume interjected. "Do you even have one for us to follow?"

"I do." He flexed his fingers, a surge of magic restoring the sheen to his armour. "However, after the failures of today, I will be playing the long game. We must allow for our enemies to forget us. Become complacent. To do that, we must be patient." He turned to them. " _That_ is my plan. You may execute your own in the meantime, should you grow impatient."

"How long?"

"Years." The witches went to object, but he silenced them with a look. "I will not act brashly again. Time, and restraint, will be my ally. And you are free to your own machinations in the meantime." He stood before the pair, arms behind his back, a dominating presence. "Well?"

The sisters glanced at each other. They thought that they could probably beat him, if they wanted, but what he offered would aid them, and with a simple goal, he could be manipulated. However, they knew that he couldn't be trusted. There was something they knew was being hidden. At the moment, however, he held promise.

"Very well." Kotake leered. "We agree to your terms."

"We shall work together." Koume stood up. "As long as you uphold your side of the deal."

The Swordsman nodded. He turned away from them and began walking away from the witches. "I will not hide amongst your people. They should not know of my involvement. We will work together very closely from now on." He continued walking, further and further into the darkness and the last sunlight faded from the horizon. The witches glanced at each other, the same thought creeping into their minds.

They wondered just how long they could trust him.

* * *

Link flicked his eyes around the empty dormitory. He assumed the others were out in the courtyard, but he had to make sure. He didn't want them to see him like this.

When he was sure he was alone, he snuck into the dormitory and grabbed his training clothes and began to take off his bloodied clothes, throwing his weapons and shirt under his bed. He looked down at the bandages around his his waist, and touched the newly stitched flesh on his back, courtesy of Sir Klaus. It hurt, but it could have been worse. He sighed, pulling the clean shirt over his head. How was he going to explain this? He couldn't think of anything believable, and his mind kept drifting back to the forest.

Once he was in something more comfortable, he meandered over to the nearest sink and washed the ash and blood from his hands and his face. Once it was all done, he gazed into his reflection. He looked young. Sometimes it seemed like he didn't know what his face looked like. Young, old, or even a different species. Sometimes, he just needed to take in the features of his identity. He shook his head and returned to the dormitory, pausing before hiding away his clothes and on his his bed. He sat there, not thinking anything in particular.

The door creaked open, and Link turned to see a certain crimson haired girl at the door. "Malon?"

The redhead jumped in shock. "Link! I didn't know you were back."

"Yeah." He smiled. "Just got back. Where are the others?"

"Oh, they're just out in the training place." She waved her hand absentmindedly, but Link noticed something. Her eyes…

"Malon, are you alright?"

"Yeah! Of course!" She smiled, sticking her chin out, but her eyes still waved. "I just wanted to get away from everyone."

"You wanted to be alone." Link realised. "What's wrong?"

"It nothing!" She grumbled. "It's just that I- I overheard something."

Link nodded slowly, moving slightly to the side and indicating for Malon to join him. After a moment, she walked over and sat next to Link. "What happened?" He asked.

"The ranch." She whispered. "I heard someone talking to dad. I just wanted to get back to him, say hi to him, but he was talking to someone, so I didn't go up. I didn't want to be rude."

Link frowned. "What happened with the ranch?"

"They said-" Her lower lip trembled. "They said it was destroyed."

Link blinked. He let the words dwell in his mind. Lon Lon Ranch was destroyed. He opened his mouth, wanting to reassure Malon, but he didn't. He looked at her, and saw tears welling up in her eyes. It was her home, where she was raised, and it was gone, and Link realised it was worse for her. Link opened his arms and hugged her.

"What are we going to do?" Malon murmured. "Dad and Ingo, where are we going to live? The ranch-"

"It's ok." He whispered. "It's ok. Today's been rough- for everyone. We can help you, make things better."

Malon broke away laughed bitterly. " _We_ can help? How might _we_ do that?"

Link shrugged. "Well, you could stay in the Castle Town. You could do everything from here. And you could get help from the castle! I'm sure the king would help you guys out settling in."

Malon wiped away her tears. "Do you really think that? Like, _really_ think that?"

"Yeah! The king's really nice, even if he's a bit tough." I thought crossed his mind, and he grinned. "And if it does work out, you'd finally get to meet Zelda!"

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Really? Farm girl meets the _princess of the entire kingdom_? That sounds like a bad idea."

"Hey, come on." Link frowned. "Zelda and you are more alike than you think. The only difference is that her dad's the king."

Malon giggled. "That's pretty different from my dad."

"Yeah." Link smiled. "Talon is one of a kind."

"Yeah. My dad's the best." She leaned against him. "So, what are you going to do, Fairy Boy?"

Link's smile faded. "I'm going to do what I came here to do. Train to be a knight so I can stop day's like these from ever happening again."

Malon tilted her head. "Why do you want to do that?"

"I _have_ to." Link stressed. "If can help people, I will. I won't let anyone suffer because I wasn't there when they needed me."

"Why?" Malon pressed.

 _Because it's my duty,_ he thought. _Because I'm the Hero of Time_.

"Because I can save people like I saved you, I can do more." He said.

"Mmm. Alright." Malon punched his shoulder. "Well, good luck with that. If I am stuck here, I guess I'll stick with you fairy boy."

Link rubbed his shoulder. "Ow."

"Oh suck it up, shorty!" Malon laughed. "So much for being a big tough knight."

"Stop it." He began to smile again. "Though it'd be nice to have you nearby. Be easier to catch up with you."

"Yeah." She beamed. "Thanks Link. I'm feeling better."

"Anytime." He punched her shoulder, and got one in return. "Ow!" He tried to get her again, but she jumped off the bed, giggling, and ran out the door, poking her tongue out as she fled. Link's arm hurt, but he couldn't help but smile. Even after such a trying day, there was still hope. He looked down to his sword hidden under his pile of clothes. He reached down and lifted if up towards his head, gripped the hilt, and unsheathed. The weapon shined, but he could see minute imperfections in the light. Link grabbed his whetstone from his personal items and sat back down on the bed, carefully and meticulously removing even the smallest imperfections. He knew that the Swordsman had escaped, and he knew that they face each other when he did appear. So when he did show his masked face again, Link would be ready. He refused to cower and run from him. He would fight. He raised the sword and observed the imperfections again, shifting its position and continuing. The idea of facing him again filled Link with dread, with fear. He rubbed the back of his sword hand. He would need to fight through the fear. Because when the time came, Link would not back down. No. The Swordsman would not face the boy without a fairy.

With or without the blessing of the Goddesses, or the Master Sword, he would face the Hero of Time.

* * *

 **END PART 1**

* * *

 **2 years. In that time, I have written 66,882 word in 31 chapters (just ignore the end of chapter commentaries), had 26 review, all of which keep me going, and had my fanfic viewed over 12,500 times. It really touches my heart that you guys enjoy something that I do for fun. Even with school and life in general, this thing has always been fun. And I'm glad I can share that with you.**

 **This chapter was 8158 words / 11 pages. Could have split this stuff up, but think of it as the season finale, setting things up for the next season. I didn't want to draw this out, and I wanted to put everything that I could into this. This needs to be strong, set up what's to come in the future. I want to treat this as if this was a story I was publishing. It's important to give it your all. I like to think my writing has gotten better as a result of working on this, and I think that can be seen through my fic. Hell, I think chapter 9 is absolute shit. Wouldn't blame you for skipping it. But beyond that, I have gotten** **better.**

 **Please feel free to review part 1 or just this chapter, or any aspect of the story. Part 2 onwards will be a departure from what came before, and having people critique my work will improve what I create next.**

 **Next month I have no idea what's going on. For one thing, I'm turning 18, and for another thing, Devil May Cry 5 is coming out, something that to me looks perfect save for Dante's battle theme, but that's easily solved with Devil's Never Cry, so I'll being playing a lot of that. I'll try and keep up with this, but as school gets harder and more demanding, along with playing DMC5 whenever I can, I may drop this a bit. In the mean time, thank you so much for reading this fic, both now and throughout it's life, and I hope you have a spectacular day.**


	33. Chapter 33 - Part 2 - Fresh Air

**PART 2 - Seven years later...**

* * *

The early morning fog hung around Hyrule Castle, creating a looming shadow over the town. Within the Castle, however, every room was filled with warm light and outwards chill was banished from within the palace. Inside the council room, a gentle flame danced within the fireplace, illuminating the lone pair sitting at the table.

"Our relationship with the Goron people is difficult to maintain." The young lady began, slightly pinching her chin. "Hyrule benefits from the allegiance, for multiple reasons. We gain many raw materials, metals and the means to create bombs, for example. Geographically, they protect Hyrule from any possible eruptions by Death Mountain by carving out an eastward path which would direct the majority of eruption towards the ocean, and they also prevent build up of magma in the volcano."

"Very good." The man nodded. "What does Hyrule of them in return?"

She paused. "The gorons don't require much, which makes it difficult offer anything they would require." She pinched her chin slightly. "Do do provide specific minerals and other raw materials for their survival. Hyrule also offers protection against threats to their civilisation." She frowned, turning to the man. "Our alliance was first formed due to protecting the Gorons from dragons, correct?"

"Precisely." He nodded. "Now that dragon's are less common in Hyrule, our alliance stands on much shakier ground." He tilted his head. "And Hyrule's arrangements with the Zora?"

The lady smiled. "Oh, that is far simpler. We give them absolute domain over Hyrule's waterways, and provide them with the resources for their military, and provide grains, meats and plant foods that they cannot produce."

"Indeed." He scratched his chin. "And, most importantly, what do they provide Hyrule?"

"Protection." She responded. "With their control of the over Hyrule's waterways, they have access to any water supply a theoretical enemy may use. They could weaken the enemy by cutting off their water supply or ambush the enemy from the water. They also ensure our water supply is clean, and are the main provider of fish for the nation, and they have best access to the ocean. Again, through the waterways."

"Excellent. Spectacular." The man beamed. "You have grasped these concepts at an incredible pace. I could be prouder."

Zelda bowed her head. "Thank you, father."

At the age of eighteen, Zelda had grown into her title as princess of Hyrule. While she had traded her reckless youth for calmed grace, her cheerful demeanour remained, though she was far more reserved than she was seven years prior. Her sun kissed hair fell down to her waist, meticulously maintained through her daily routine, though she often required Impa's aid. That day she was more casual than usual, wearing a long sleeved white dress with a sleeveless purple shirt over it, and the only symbol of her status being the golden bracelets she wore on each wrist, and the tiara that rested on the table.

The king rose from his seat and offered a hand to his daughter. "I'm afraid that is all for this morning. I several obligations I must prepare for."

"Of course." She took his hand and rose slowly, making a deliberate effort to matin elegance, something she believed she was naturally lacking. "When will you complete these tasks?"

The king chuckled. "I'm afraid they will take all day. The earliest I may be relieved is likely to be nightfall." He moved to the door and opened it, standing aside for Zelda to pass through. "You first." She went through and found Impa standing by the doorway, flanked by Nelo and the King's attendant.

Impa bowed. "You highness." After the king nodded in acknowledgement, the Sheikah straightened, ever the loyal servant.

Zelda smiled at her attendant. "I think I may go for a stroll, Impa." She turned and gave a small curtsy. "Hylia bless you, father." The king bowed his head in response.

"Hylia bless you too, Zelda." He responded.

As she began down the corridor, Zelda felt Impa's hand fall on her shoulder. "Princess, are you not forgetting something?" Impa asked.

Zelda flicked her eyes around the room, hoping to find an answer to the question. "No?" She answered slowly. Impa sighed and tapped the princess's forehead. Zelda forced a smile. "My… head?"

The king chuckled. "You're tiara, dear."

"Oh!" Zelda blushed. "Right. Of course." She ran back into the chamber and snatched the tiara off the table, haphazardly fitting it onto her head before returning. "There." She beamed. "All better." She once again attempted to walk down the corridor, only for Impa to stop her, readjusting and centring the skewed ornament, giving a satisfied nod.

" _Now_ it's all better." The sheikah declared.

Zelda shrugged sheepishly. "You could have just said."

"You should remember your tiara without prompting. What is you forgot the crown?"

"Have a little faith, Impa!" She pouted.

The king smirked. Despite how much she had grown, she was still the same little princess that needed Impa to make sure she remembered to screw her head on tight. "Gwonam, Nelo, we must be leaving." He turned on his heel and departed, the sheikah following him like shadows.

* * *

"Begin."

Oulson lunged forwards instantly, slashing downwards with deadly speed. Eshie dodged to his lefthand retaliated with stab of her own, and he raised his shield to deflect it. Seeing an opportunity, he twisted his wrist and swung at Eshie's side. Eshie brought her shield close, taking the full force of the attack, forcing her back. Oulson took another swing at her, but Eshie was ready, and moved under the swing, his blade scraping against her shield and lunging forwards, but she was too close to take full advantage of her position, and her sword glanced off Oulson's armour. Fortunately, this startled his, making him stumble back. Spying a change, Eshie moved her shield arm and gripped the edge of her blade, pushing herself forwards and onto Oulson, making him trip, and she fell on top of him, pressing the flat of her sword against his neck, forcing the edge against his jaw. They froze. Eshie was panting. Oulson's jaw trembled, and he tried not to swallow out of fear of slicing his throat open.

"That's enough." Captain Graves called out.

Eshie let her shoulders relax and removed her sword from Oulson's neck, using it to stand up. As she sheathed the weapon, Oulson propped himself up on his elbow, rubbing his hand against his throat. Eshie offered him a hand up, which he gladly took. When they were up, they shook hands and dusted themselves off, gulping in breaths of frosty air.

"I thought you were going to kill me." Oulson said, licking his lips nervously.

Eshie scoffed. "My hands aren't that unsteady. If you keep mocking me like that, I might not be so merciful next time."

"Hey, hey." Graves shook his head. "You don't threaten you fellow knights."

Oulson rolled his eyes. "She's joking, captain."

"I don't care." He responded. "I won't have my anyone I train consider death to be a point of comedy."

"That was wordy." Diddy snarked.

Graves sighed. "Five laps around the yard, Diddy."

"Got it, captain." He saluted as he jogged away.

Graves turned back to the two trainees. "Now then, Oulson. You were good at controlling the interaction, taking the first initiative and capitalising on Eshie's actions and forcing her back. However, you were too jumpy, doubted your abilities. If you hadn't recoiled from Eshie's attack, she would not have been able to attack again, and would have to go on the defensive. She was in a compromised position, yet you gave her the advantage."

Oulson nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Eshie, while you made multiple mistakes, you were able to counter your weaknesses effectively. But you cannot be overly reactionary. From now on, you will focus on taking the initiative in future interactions."

Eshie pursed her lips. "Understood."

Graves tilted his head. "Understood…?"

She blinked, then shook her head. "Right. Understood sir."

"Very good." Graves loosened up. "Now, you two get a drink and some rest, got that?" He turned around. "Now, Diddy, when your finished, I want you to pick up your sword and-" He cut himself off, frowning. He spun on his foot, searching the courtyard. "Where the hell is link?"

* * *

"Alright girl." Link patted Epona's side, grinning. "One last try. Four arrows, four targets." He looked into Epona's eyes. "Think we'll manage it?" She snorted, and he smiled. "You're right, you're right. Do you think _I'll_ manage it?" A shudder went through the mare. "Well, we'll never know until we try." He straightened up and knocked his bow. Link took a deep breath, then smiled. "Ready when you are, girl." Without prompting, Epona began trotting forwards, rapidly picking up speed, bringing the first target into range. Link drew back his arrow, took a breath, aimed his bow and, once he was ready, he released. The arrow flew through the air and buried itself in the target, but Link didn't look to see if he had succeeded, already knocking the next arrow. As he came up to the second target, Link shifted himself to get a clearer shot, releasing and grabbing at the third arrow. The next target was closer than the first two, forcing Link to move quickly, and he barely thought, simply shot the arrow and prepared for the final target, obscured behind a bundle of hay.

"Ready Epona?" He asked as he climbed on top of his saddle, crouching with bow in hand. "Make this count!"

Link felt Epona tense up beneath him, and he took a deep breath. Then, with incredible force, Epona leapt into the high enough to clear the hay bundle, but they were too far away, and that was never the goal. When Epona reached the peak of her jump, Link pushed off her saddle and flew through the air, bow drawn. The target was instantly in his sights, and he aimed the tip of his arrow, breathed out, and released. As he came down, he braced his body, hit the ground and rolled onto his feet, bow in hand and heart bumping. Link stood up and let out an exhilarated shout.

"Yes!" He ran over to Epona, who was trotting around happily. "That was great! We did it!" He ruffled Epona's mane. "You were perfect out there, girl! I didn't need to tell you to do a damn thing!" In response, the horse playfully nipped at his hair.

In the seven years since the attack on Hyrule, Link had dedicated himself to ensuring that he would be ready for the next attack. Years of swordplay, archery, and a variety of other activities had made him more than fighting fit, and he was able use everything he had learnt with deadly skill.

Link had become quite the young man, having grown into his looks. He was the tallest of all the trainees, a full head taller than Diddy, though Princess Zelda and Malon wasn't quiet so short. His featured had become much more defined, with a strong cheekbones that complimented his sharp nose, and his body had become toned, a result of his diligent training. His golden hair was longer and messier, parting over his face at the front having to be pulled into a small and pitiful ponytail at the back, too short to reasonably be tied back but too long not to be. Combined together, he had become a rather dashing young man.

"Come on." He said, patting Epona's side. "Let's see how I did."

He hopped onto Epona and rode over to the first target, the arrow buried perfectly at it's centre, and Link allowed himself a satisfied smirk. The second target told the same story, a near perfect shot. The third, however, was a couple of inches from the centre, but still an impressive shot. Link bit his lip in anticipation as he returned to the final target, only to sigh in disappointment. It was still an impressive shot, but it far from close to the centre, and while it would still hit a human target, but but it would likely be a wasted arrow. "Look's like I still need some practice, huh?"

"Link!"

He turned to the voice, and found Captain Graves marching right at him. "Captain Graves?" His eye's widened, and he quickly attached his bow to Epona's saddle and slid off her, standing to attention just as Graves got close. "Good morning, or noon, sir."

Grave shook his head, irritated. "Where the hell have you been, Link?"

"Right here. All morning." Link replied.

"I told you that you would be sparring today."

"Really?" Link shrugged. "Must have missed it."

Graves raised an eyebrow. "I told you all at yesterdays dinner."

"I mustn't have been paying attention."

"You told Aram to pay attention."

Link rolled his eyes. "Then I must have forgotten, ok?" He walked over to the closest target, placing his left hand flat against the target just above the arrow and his right hand on the arrow shaft. "Besides, I'm learning more here than over there."

Graves narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me, Link? Care to clarify?"

Link pursed his lips, twisting the arrow. "What don't you get?" With a grunt, he pulled out the arrow and expected the arrowhead, which remained in perfect condition, and moved to the next target. "I won't learn anything. I'm making better use of my time training with my bow."

"You don't get to decide if you do or don't learn anything." Graves retorted.

"All due respect sir, but I've been training with them for the past seven years. I know every tactic or form that those guys will or can use against me. I won't learn anything sparring against them."

"You're growing lazy, Link. You haven't lost for a while, and it shows."

"I know how to use a sword." Link placed his hand over the next arrow and glanced over his shoulder. "If you want me to learn, don't have me spar against the same people, over and over."

"Alright." Graves crossed his arms. "Then do it for everyone else. Help them get better, if that's _really_ what's got you all irritated."

Link paused, then removed the arrow. "It's not just swordplay. I can beat someone with a sword easily. I just need to make sure I don't get rusty." He sighed. "Not rusty. Complacent. If I keep going against Oulson and his offensive tactics, or Diddy's slow observation style, then that's all I'm prepared to fight." He began to the third target. "I'd rather be training with Epona than getting into a fighting rhythm."

"That's good." Graves conceded. "But at the end of the day, you need to respect my commands. It's not long before you become fully fledged knights." He watched as Link prepared to remove the next arrow. "If you can't do as you're told, you'll be stuck training forever."

Link tore the arrow from the target, snapping the shaft, and he cursed under his breath, tossing it to the ground. He looked back at Captain Graves. "Alright. I'll go a round, but if I win easily, I come back here for Epona."

Graves smirked. "Thank you, but you can't negotiate in regards to orders. You will do as you're told."

"Ha!" He pointed at Captain Graves. "Fine then. But I hope they've've got some tricks to keep me on my toes." He began to head to the final arrow, when Graves stopped him.

"No, you need to get to the courtyard. You've kept Diddy waiting long enough."

Link pursed his lips, and nodded. "Yes sir." He grabbed Epona's reigns and guided her back to the stables. As he passed the entrance, he heard a whistle.

"That was quiet the show, Fairy Boy!"

Link smirked and turned around. "Were you watching me, Farm Girl?"

Malon crossed her arms and learnt against the doorway. "Of course. I've got to make sure you treat my horse right!"

"What, not worried about here kicking me in the head?"

She shrugged. "You can take care of yourself." She winked. "Besides, if she decides you need a hoof shaped bruise, I'd say you deserve it."

Link snorted. "Gee, thanks."

Malon laughed and jogged over. "You're welcome." She said cheerfully."What was Graves talking to you about?"

He shrugged. "He told me I've got to go spar with the others. I tried to get out of it here but, well, he told me to get over there anyway."

"Sparring, huh?" Malon grinned. "Mind if I come and watch you?"

"If you want, though I doubt it'd be much fun to watch."

"Oh, I don't know. I think I'd find some entertainment." She replied.

"Yeah, sure." He tilted his head. "Hey, do you think you could get Epona into the stable? I've got to get to the training yard as soon as I can, or Graves will kill me."

"Mmm." She "I don't see why not. Just try and make sure you haven't started without me, ok?"

"No promises." He handed her the reigns. "Oh, and could you give her an apple for me?"

Malon scoffed. "You spoil her. She's going to pack it on if you keep pampering her like that."

"I'll spoil my horse if I want to."

" _My_ horse." She retorted, slamming her thumb against her chest. "I just let you borrow her."

"Yeah, for eight years." Malon went to take a swing and his shoulder, but Epona pulled on her reigns, forcing Malon back and allowing Link to darted out of her reach, wagging his finger mockingly. "I don't think so, Farm Girl!"

She laughed. "You've turned my horse against me!"

"See you Malon!" He said as he ran down the road, grinning.

"Go to hell!" If he replied, he was too far away for Malon to hear. She sighed, guiding Epona into her stall. As she locked the stall, she glanced over her shoulder and grabbed an apple, offering it to Epona. "Don't tell Fairy Boy, ok?" Epona whinnied happily as she ate from Malon's hand, and the young lady sighed. "Link really is an idiot, isn't he? I'd say you've really carried him these past few years." She patted Epona. "You're the real hero here, aren't you girl?" Having finished the apple, Epona nipped at Malon's hair. "Hey, hey!" She swatted the mare's nose. "Troublemaker! You're almost as bad as he is." He made sure the gate was locked up, then gave a satisfied nod. "There. Now you stay there, got that?" She paused, as if waiting for a response from the horse, who only flicked her tail. Malon shrugged, then turned and chased after Link. It was always fun to watch him spar, to see how he used a swords, and it was also nice for other reasons. She grinned, and picked up her pace. Hopefully he'd keep it going long enough for her to really watch him. She forged on as quickly as her legs could take her.

* * *

 **I'm back in the game. Took me long enough, hey?**

 **So much has happened since I last posted a chapter. Devil May Cry 5 came out, I played it, I loved all of it (except subhuman which is garbage), and played it again. I turned 18, with all that entails. I feel older, like I've left something behind. I created a tumblr so I could do stuff there, like post art of the Swordsman and the like (just search up** _arcanemadman_ **on tumblr cause posting links on this website is a bitch** **). Joker came out for smash, and he's fun. There have also been complications with friends of the family, but thats not for me to talk about, least of all here.**

 **But that's in the past. I'm here to get right back into the game. I've started out slow and placed this chapter 7 years after the events of Part 1, with the characters having grown into what they will be more like as the story progresses. I hope you guy's enjoy this part, I'm going to do my best on it. As I said, my school comes first, so working on this will likely be** **sporadic. Who knows.**

 **As always, I would love it if you left any form of critique for my story, anything that is said helps me get better as a writer. Even if you have nothing to complain about, feel free to say whatever. Have a good day, and here we go!**


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